NFL gives big news to Vikings running back Adrian Peterson
NEW YORK -- Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was reinstated to the NFL after a monthslong suspension for allegations of child abuse, the league announced Thursday.
In a statement released by the NFL, Peterson was informed of the news and that he may participate in all league activities. However he will be required to comply with any court and legal obligations in Minnesota and Texas, where the child abuse case is said to have taken place.
He must also avoid any action that violates the NFL's Personal Conduct Policy.
The chain of events began when Peterson was indicted in Texas in September on child abuse charges. He turned himself in and was released on $15,000 bond. Peterson maintained that he never abused his son, but was actually disciplining the 4-year-old boy for misbehavin.,However the whipping of Peterson's son resulted in lacerations and bruises, documented when his mother took him to a doctor
Peterson was suspended last Nov. 18 for the remainder of the football season without pay. The length of the suspension had been set to last through at least April 15.
The crux of the issue was the application of the enhanced personal conduct policy, increasing a suspension for players involved with domestic violence from two games to six games. Because that was implemented after the injuries occurred to Peterson's son, the union contended that the prior standard of punishment should apply.
"Our collective bargaining agreement has rules for implementation of the personal conduct policy and when those rules are violated, our union always stands up to protect our players' rights," Smith said. "This is yet another example why neutral arbitration is good for our players, good for the owners and good for our game."
But Peterson, who had pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges, and the NFL Players association appealed league commissioner Roger Goodell's decision to suspend him. However in December, league appeals officer Harold Henderson said that Peterson had "not demonstrated that the process and procedures surrounding his discipline were not fair and consistent."
That changed in January when U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled Henderson "failed to meet his duty" under the league's collective bargaining agreement, clearing the way for a reinstatement.
The league said it suspended Peterson "for violating the NFL Personal Conduct Policy in an incident of abusive discipline that he inflicted on his four-year-old son last May" - the first example of the league's crackdown on players involved with domestic violence.
In a short statement soon after the reinstatement was announced, the Vikings posted briefly on their website:
"The Minnesota Vikings have been informed by the NFL that Adrian Peterson has been reinstated. We look forward to Adrian re-joining the Vikings."