Adrian Peterson Appeal Denied, Will Not Play In The NFL This Season

An arbitrator ruled that Peterson was not treated unfairly by the NFL.

Usa Today Sports / Reuters

Late Friday, a neutral arbitrator ruled that Adrian Peterson will not be reinstated to the league this season. Peterson will not be eligible for reinstatement until April 2015 at the earliest.

The NFL Player's Association had previously argued that Peterson was subjected to inconsistent and unfair treatment by Commissioner Roger Goodell. The arbitrator sided with the league. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says the next step in the plan is to take Peterson's case to a federal court.

Earlier this week, the NFL announced an updated Personal Conduct Policy, which the league claims will standardize its disciplinary process.

Peterson will forfeit six game checks from the 2014 season. He made $700,000 per week in 2014. That's a total of $4.2 million. It has not been announced how the NFL will use that money. The six-week fine is consistent with the NFL's new Personal Conduct Policy.

Though Peterson will likely return to the league for the 2015 season, it is not certain that he will play for the Vikings. There have been reports of dissenting opinions within the Vikings' front office about whether or not to carry their former franchise player. Today, it was reported that the Vikings will create a "team-wide education program" to prevent domestic violence from their players. This is a sign that the Vikings are attempting to make changes to their organization to prevent future issues within their team.

In his decision, arbitrator Harold Henderson said that Peterson had not shown public remorse for his actions. He also suggested that the Commissioner's Exempt List is not a form of discipline.

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Last month, Ray Rice was reinstated to the league when an arbitrator ruled that he had been disciplined twice for the same incident. Henderson's language about the Commissioner's Exempt List will not allow Peterson's camp to make the same claim.

The NFLPA immediately released a statement, hinting at Henderson's ties to the NFL.

The NFLPA expected this outcome, given the hearing officer's relationship and financial ties to the NFL. 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.