ESPN.com has published the full five-page letter sent by the NFL Players Association to commissioner Roger Goodell explaining the reasoning behind appealing Adrian Peterson‘s suspension, and the document makes for an interesting read.
In addition to the previously-reported points raised by the NFLPA, the union also points out that Peterson’s violation of the personal conduct policy happened back in May, well before the league instituted its new policies related to domestic violence. NFLPA attorney Tom DePaso also points out that the Vikings running back’s suspension, which totals 15 games when taking into account his time on the exempt list, is without precedent for such an incident, and “grossly disproportionate” when compared to past penalties.
Here’s more on that letter to Goodell, as well as a couple more notes from around the NFL’s two North divisions:
- The union’s letter to the commissioner suggests that multiple league officials – including Troy Vincent – told Peterson and his agent that his stint on the exempt list would be considered time served, and takes issue with the league’s lack of transparency in failing to explain the role of outside experts during the disciplinary hearing that was scheduled for Peterson last week. The appeal also calls, in strong terms, for a neutral arbitrator during the appeal process. “There is simply no way for you to impartially arbitrate Mr. Peterson’ s appeal,” DePaso writes, addressing Goodell.
- 2015’s free agent class of wide receivers projects to include several intriguing names, but none will have Randall Cobb‘s combination of youth (he turned 24 in August) and on-field production (779 receiving yards, 10 TDs so far this season). While Cobb says he wants to remain “a Packer for life,” he’ll be a hot commodity if he reaches the open market, writes Don Banks of SI.com.
- Greg A. Bedard of TheMMQB.com tackles the issue of what Brian Hoyer‘s next contract will look like, writing that there’s a significant range of possibilities for the Browns quarterback depending on how he finishes the 2014 season.