Adrian Peterson Suspension Ruling Appealed by NFL: Latest Details, Comments

The National Football League filed a formal appeal in an Eighth Circuit court as part of its attempt to halt the immediate reinstatement of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson on Thursday.

Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports received a statement from the league:

U.S. District Judge David Doty overruled a previous decision by NFL arbitrator Harold Henderson on Thursday, immediately freeing Peterson of his league-mandated suspension. Under terms of his initial suspension, Peterson would not have been eligible to play for the Vikings or any other franchise until April 15—long after the free-agency period began.

In his initial decision, Henderson ruled the NFL acted fairly within the bounds of its personal conduct policy. The NFLPA's appeal contended Peterson's incident happened prior to the implementation of the new personal conduct rules and he was unfairly punished as a result.

"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,'' union director DeMaurice Smith said, per ESPN.com. "This is yet another example why neutral arbitration is good for our players, good for the owners and good for our game.''

Pat Sullivan/Associated Press

Peterson pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless assault in November as part of a plea deal to get felony child abuse charges dropped. He was charged in September after disciplining his four-year-old son with a switch, leaving marks on his body.

The Vikings and commissioner Roger Goodell agreed to put Peterson on the exempt list after Week 2. Peterson's season finished with 75 yards on 21 carries, as he made only one appearance. When Peterson attempted to return after reaching the plea, he was immediately suspended by the league.

The NFL will put Peterson back on the exempt list while the Eighth Circuit court is reviewing the appeal. Given Peterson's tenuous status with the Vikings and the league's free-agency period opening March 10, time will be of the essence here. It's very possible the league and Peterson attempt to expedite the process in the best interest of both parties.

Peterson, 29, is scheduled to make $12.75 million in 2015. He has publicly expressed reservations about returning to the Vikings franchise, most notably in an interview with Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.

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