On Thursday, U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled in favor of Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson when he overturned a ruling by NFL arbiter Harold Henderson’s denial of Peterson’s appeal, which may make it easier for Peterson to return to the NFL.
The NFL had suspended Peterson through April 15 at the earliest under the personal conduct policy in a child abuse scandal that took the league by storm.
Peterson’s legal issues started in May 2014 when he hit his 4-year-old son with a switch while the boy was visiting him in Texas. In September, he was indicted by a Montgomery County, Texas grand jury.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that he disagrees with the Judge’s decision and will appeal to the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court based in St. Louis. He goes on to say that Peterson would be placed under the commissioner’s exempt list instead of being reinstated.
NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith applauded Doty’s decision saying in part, the decision was a “victory for the rule of law, due process and fairness.”
There is a crux with the issue and it is that suspensions with players involved in domestic violence was at two games but increased to six. The union believes that it is fair for the suspension to be only two games instead of six because the injuries to Peterson’s son occurred after these changes were implemented.
In the past, Doty’s courtroom has been at the heart of NFL labor issues and his rulings have favored the unions more than the league.
Peterson is under contract until 2017, carrying a $15 million salary cap hit for this year and several high-ranking team officials have indicated that they want him to return to the team this season. Plus he is to make a base salary of $12.75 million this year. If he returned under his current contract, he would be the highest-paid running back and told ESPN in a December interview that he should not have to take a pay cut this year.
On March 10, the market opens with the new league year and when that day comes, the team could trade him. If they decide to go down this route, Peterson would not be owed any money by the team and the Vikings would only take a $2.4 million hit to their salary cap.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter says Peterson has not been as adamant about returning to Minnesota and told ESPN.com that Minnesota may not be the best place for him to succeed. If he returns to Minnesota, Schefter says there are major questions as to when he would be able to return to the Vikings.
At the end of the day, it may make sense for the team to let him go because the controversy will likely not go away. Peterson was the 2012 MVP and when he is on his game, he is one of the most dangerous running backs in the league. Plus he is lethal in the open field. As a result, the Vikings have a very difficult decision and that decision may have to be made shortly after the new league year begins on March 10.
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