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Adrian Peterson, the all-pro running back for the Minnesota Vikings had his appeal of his season long suspension denied by the NFL on Friday.
Peterson, who played his way to the NFL MVP award for the 2012 season, hasn’t played a down of football since week 1 of this season, having been indicted on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child in Montgomery County, Texas. Peterson plead no-contest to the charges, and shortly after was issued a suspension without pay by the league.
This appeal was heard by arbitrator Harold Henderson, who came to the decision that Peterson had not provided enough evidence to indicate that the punishment he had faced at the hands of the NFL was were unfair, or otherwise disproportionate.
The NFLPA has already released a statement which read, in part, “The decision itself ignores the facts, the evidence and the collective bargaining agreement. This decision also represents the NFL’s repeated failure to adhere to due process and confirms its inconsistent treatment of players. Our union is considering immediate legal remedies.”
Coming into this season, Peterson was slated to make $11.75 million this season. Peterson will be able to keep the money he had accrued before the NFL levied any punishment, but once that had happened, Peterson essentially faces a total loss of $4.15 million over the remainder of the year.
Barring the success of any future appeals to higher courts, Peterson’s status will not come up for reevaluation until the spring following the conclusion of the 2014-2015 season.
The Vikings have certainly missed the powerful, consistent presence of Adrian Peterson on the ground and have played to just a 6-7 record without him. Had Peterson been able to play this season, there is a substantial chance that the Vikings could be competing for at least a spot in the wild card playoffs on the NFC side of the bracket.
Word from the Peterson camp seems to be indicative that the running back plans to appeal the decision to a federal court and try his luck there. Only time will tell what the final conclusion of this entire process will be.
