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Adrian Peterson

Uncertain Futures For Peterson, Rice

November 22nd, 2014 at 5:19pm CST by Rob DiRe

Adrian Peterson was suspended for the rest of the season earlier this week, and his career with the Vikings could be coming to an end, according to Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com. Peterson has expressed concern about returning to the team after his suspension is over.

According to Tomasson, Peterson had told USA Today he “would love to go back and play in Minnesota” but that it might be “best for me to get a fresh start somewhere else.”

If the team decides his return is too much of a distraction to bring back, Peterson could find himself a hot commodity as far as running backs go. While Toby Gerhart and Donald Brown received only modest contracts as this past offseason’s top runners, Peterson should garner more attention than either of them. Those runners each signed deals in the $10-$11MM range, with between $4-$5MM in guaranteed money.

Both of those players have failed to live up to those modest contracts already in the first year. Peterson comes with some baggage now after missing almost all of the 2014 season, but his talent and potential upside far outweighs any runner to switch teams in recent years.

Peterson will be 30 years old by the time next season starts, but is still considered to be one of the top talents at the position across the league. While he might never again reach the level of his 2012 MVP season, he is not yet in decline as a player, amassing 1,266 yards in 14 games in 2013, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. This season will be the first year of his career that he failed to record double digit touchdowns.

Peterson’s fellow disgraced ball carrier, Ray Rice, shares the name recognition of Peterson, but his NFL future is much more up in the air. The Rice saga gained more media attention than did Peterson, with the visual of the TMZ video only exacerbating the public’s anger toward his case.

Rice, unlike Peterson, had experienced a sharp decline in on the field performance as well. Never the player Peterson was even at his peak, Rice’s 2013 season saw him gain only 660 yards at 3.1 yards per carry. Where Peterson never failed to score ten touchdowns in a season, Rice only hit that mark once, with 12 in 2011. Rice may be only a year younger than Peterson, but will likely be an afterthought in this year’s free agent class if he is even able to sign at all.

NFC Mailbags: Colston, Forte, Peterson

November 22nd, 2014 at 8:57am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday, and that means ESPN’s NFL writers are opening up their mailbags and answering questions. Let’s check out some of the notable whispers from the NFC…

Roger Goodell Won’t Handle Peterson’s Appeal

November 21st, 2014 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

2:33pm: Unsurprisingly, the Players Association doesn’t view Henderson as the independent arbitrator the union requested. “A long-time NFL executive and current legal consultant cannot, by definition, be a neutral arbitrator,” said the NFLPA in a statement on Henderson’s appointment, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).

1:43pm: The NFLPA called for a neutral arbitrator, rather than league commissioner Roger Goodell, to be the hearing officer in Adrian Peterson‘s case when the Vikings running back appealed his suspension earlier this week, and Goodell has indeed agreed to delegate the responsibility. According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Twitter), it will be Harold Henderson – and not Goodell – who will hear Peterson’s appeal on December 2.

While the fact that Goodell won’t hear Peterson’s appeal is something of a win for the running back and for the NFLPA, it’s reasonable to argue that Henderson himself isn’t entirely neutral — as Glazer notes (via Twitter), Henderson is a retired former NFL executive who ran the league’s management council. Henderson was the arbitrator for Josh Gordon‘s appeal earlier this year, and ruled against the Browns receiver, upholding his season-long suspension, which was later reduced to 10 games.

When Henderson was appointed to Gordon’s case, it was viewed as a bad sign for the Browns wideout, with one source telling Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that “you would have a better chance of convincing your teacher your dog ate your homework” than convincing Henderson that Gordon’s failed drug tests were a result of second-hand smoke. After Henderson upheld Gordon’s suspension, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report described him as a man who doesn’t believe in excuses, and one who recognized that Gordon needed to be strictly disciplined.

In other words, if Henderson approaches Peterson’s personal conduct policy violation the same way as he approached Gordon’s drug policy violation, it doesn’t bode well for the Vikings running back’s chances of getting his penalty reduced.

Adrian Peterson Links: Friday

November 21st, 2014 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson declined the opportunity to meet with Roger Goodell and the NFL last week at a disciplinary hearing to explain his perspective on his violation of the league’s personal conduct policy, but he spoke at length to Tom Pelissero of USA Today this week. Within the interview, Peterson expresses remorse about the way he disciplined his son, promising he “won’t ever use a switch again.”

It’s fair to wonder if the running back’s penalty from the league wouldn’t have been quite so punitive if he’d made these comments to Goodell last week, though perhaps they were made in response to the league’s claim that Peterson didn’t show much remorse for the incident with his son. In any case, Peterson sounds prepared to move on from Minnesota if the Vikings decide to release him before the 2015 season, suggesting that “maybe it’s best for me to get a fresh start somewhere else.”

Here’s more on Peterson:

  • Considering Peterson is already preparing for the idea of playing for a new team, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) wonders if the running back’s next deal could include a number of not likely to be earned incentives. NLTBE incentives are based on the previous year’s performance, and don’t count against the cap unless they’re achieved. So a team could offer Peterson a deal that includes $1MM for 1,000 yards rushing, for instance, and only have it count against the cap if he surpasses that mark.
  • Albert Breer of the NFL Network notes (via Twitter) that the only money the Vikings owe Peterson between next January and September is a $250K workout bonus, so the team will have plenty of time to make a decision on whether to keep him. Of course, as Corry points out (via Twitter), the team may not want to sit on his rights, considering he comes with a $15MM+ 2015 cap hit.
  • In the wake of the Peterson ruling, there appears to be plenty of dissent between the NFL and the Players Association. NFLPA leaders DeMaurice Smith and Eric Winston spoke to Jenny Vrentas of TheMMQB.com about the union’s frustration with the league’s handling of personal conduct policy issues, and Goodell’s arbitrary enforcement of discipline.

North Notes: Peterson, Cobb, Hoyer

November 20th, 2014 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Adrian Peterson, NFLPA File Appeal

November 20th, 2014 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 9:36am: Peterson’s grievance was formally filed early this morning, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports.

WEDNESDAY, 6:56pm: Peterson’s appeal hearing is scheduled for December 2nd, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (on Twitter). That’s the second Tuesday after the filing of the appeal, the date that is mandated by Article 46 of the collective bargaining agreement.

6:55pm: The NFLPA prepared to file an appeal on behalf of Adrian Peterson today, according to Peter King of The MMQB (via Twitter links). King’s tweets came this afternoon and it’s not immediately clear if the appeal was filed before the end of business on Wednesday, however.

The union will ask for a reversal of Peterson’s ban based on two factors, according to King. First, the NFLPA will argue that the league’s process was arbitrary. Secondly, they say that the new ban is essentially double jeopardy for the star running back since he has already sat out for nine games while on the commissioner’s exempt list. The NFLPA will also request a neutral arbitrator.

King adds that he doesn’t like the NFLPA’s chances of winning since they’re appealing to the body that handed down the penalty less than 48 hours ago and it’s hard to argue. As it stands, we won’t see the six-time Pro Bowler and the once surefire Hall of Famer back in the NFL until 2015, at the earliest.

Adrian Peterson Links: Wednesday

November 19th, 2014 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Tuesday was an eventful day in the Adrian Peterson saga, as the NFL ruled in the morning that the Vikings running back would be suspended for at least the rest of the season and wouldn’t be considered for possible reinstatement until April 15, 2015. In the afternoon, the league also announced that arbitrator Shyam Das had declined the NFLPA’s appeal to remove Peterson from the commissioner’s exempt list. So unless Peterson’s appeal of the suspension is successful, we won’t be seeing the former All-Pro until at least 2015.

Here’s the latest on the situation:

  • After Peterson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, appeared on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike to criticize the league’s handling of the case, NFL executive VP Jeff Pash responded by defending the league’s decision (link via ESPN.com). “We’re not trying to end his career, we want to extend his career,” Pash said. “We want to have a great player on the field with the confidence that he won’t face these kind of issues again.”
  • When the NFLPA issued a statement yesterday announcing that it intended to appeal Peterson’s suspension, the statement mentioned that Peterson had been told by an NFL executive his stint on the exempt list would be considered “time served.” Troy Vincent was the league exec in question, and while he acknowledged telling Peterson that his time on the exempt list would be taken into account, that came with a caveat, as he tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “But Adrian, you’ve got to come talk,” Vincent recalls telling the running back. “You, your team, your counselors, whoever. Just come and tell us where you are.” Peterson and his representatives failed to appear at the disciplinary hearing that took place last week.
  • While the NFL’s statement on Tuesday indicated that Peterson is being suspended for the rest of the season without pay, he’ll remain on the exempt list and continue to be paid during the appeal process. As Darren Heitner of Forbes.com points out, that process figures to take some time — even though the appeal hearing will reportedly be “scheduled promptly,” the word “prompt” is subjective, and the appeal may not be resolved for a few weeks.
  • The Vikings are publicly on board with the NFL’s suspension of Peterson, but are “privately fuming” about the league’s decision, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.

North Notes: Steelers, Tate, Peterson

November 18th, 2014 at 6:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com reported earlier today (via Twitter) that someone on the Steelers staff called someone with the Browns to ask about Ben Tate‘s release, but Scott Brown of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that Pittsburgh has no interest in picking up Tate to replace LeGarrette Blount. More out of the North divisions..

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Adrian Peterson Suspended For Rest Of 2014

November 18th, 2014 at 4:15pm CST by Luke Adams

4:15pm: Arbitrator Shyam Das has made his decision on the NFLPA’s grievance, ruling that the NFL can keep Peterson on its exempt list, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). That means that the issue of whether the running back should have been removed from the commissioner’s exempt list following the conclusion of his legal case has been resolved, and the only way Peterson will see the field again this season is if he wins his appeal of today’s suspension.

9:07am: The league and the union continue to volley Peterson-related statements back and forth. An NFL spokesman has responded to the NFLPA’s claim that a league exec told Peterson his stint on the exempt list would be considered time served: “There were aggravating circumstances in this case. The time he missed on paid leave was taken into account in the discipline” (Twitter links via Albert Breer of NFL.com).

8:03am: The NFLPA didn’t waste any time releasing a statement of its own, calling the discipline imposed by the league “inconsistent” with previously established policies and penalties. Indicating that an NFL executive told Peterson his time on the exempt list would be considered time served, the union announced it will appeal the suspension and demand that a neutral arbitrator oversees that appeal.NFL: Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams

7:48am: The NFL announced today that Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been suspended without pay for at least the rest of the 2014 season, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. According to Garafolo (via Twitter), the league informed Peterson that he won’t be considered for reinstatement before April 15, 2015. A source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the star running back will immediately appeal the suspension.

The league has released a lengthy statement explaining its decision, which arose as a result of Peterson violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy in an incident of abusive discipline toward his four-year-old son. Modifications earlier this year to the league’s personal conduct policy – specifically for incidents of domestic violence – dictated a ban of at least six games for a first offense, with the possibility for a stricter penalty if there were “aggravating circumstances.” In Peterson’s case, commissioner Roger Goodell identified multiple aggravating circumstances, including the fact that the victim was only four years old, and that Peterson’s camp didn’t provide information requested by the league during the process.

“You have shown no meaningful remorse for your conduct,” Goodell wrote in a letter to Peterson. “When indicted, you acknowledged what you did but said that you would not ‘eliminate whooping my kids’ and defended your conduct in numerous published text messages to the child’s mother. You also said that you felt ‘very confident with my actions because I know my intent.’ These comments raise the serious concern that you do not fully appreciate the seriousness of your conduct, or even worse, that you may feel free to engage in similar conduct in the future.”

Although the NFL’s policy on personal conduct suggests at least a six-game suspension for such a violation, there was some uncertainty about the league’s decision in this case, since Peterson accepted a no-contest plea and had already sat out for the majority of the season, having been placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. In appealing the suspension, the NFLPA will likely point to that absence as time served, despite the fact that Peterson was still being paid during that de facto suspension.

Peterson and the NFLPA have three days to formally appeal the NFL’s ruling, and the league indicated in its statement that a hearing will be “scheduled promptly” once that appeal is filed. During the appeal process, Peterson will remain on the exempt list and will continue to be paid until a final decision is made.

Assuming the suspension stands, Peterson will be required to undergo a counseling and treatment program and will be subject to periodic reviews from the league and Goodell — the first of which will happen on or around April 15. The league’s statement also advises Peterson that to be considered for reinstatement in 2015, he must have no further violations of the law or of league policy.

“It is imperative that you to avoid any incident of this kind in the future,” Goodell said in his letter. “Any further violation of the personal conduct policy will result in additional discipline and may subject you to banishment from the NFL.”

Even in the event that the suspension stands and Peterson is reinstated by the league in the spring, it’s hard to imagine the running back returning to the Vikings for the 2015 season, particularly on his current contract. That deal calls for a base salary of $12.75MM and an overall cap hit of $15.4MM next year, which is an exorbitant cost for any running back, given the current market. If the team does eventually cut Peterson, it’ll be interesting to see which club will be willing to take a shot on him, especially since teams have typically already made their major free agent expenditures before mid-April.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Extra Points: Peterson, Gurley, Bills, Gordon

November 17th, 2014 at 10:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets drafted strong safety Calvin Pryor so that he could make his presence felt near the line of scrimmage, but coverage problems have altered those plans this season. Unfortunately, head coach Rex Ryan doesn’t seem to think that he’ll be able to give Pryor those opportunities the rest of the way in 2014. “With the way our roster is now, you have to make adjustments,” Ryan said, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter). Tonight’s look around the NFL..

  • As the Vikings wait on the Adrian Peterson ruling, the Vikings believe the climate is changing with sponsors getting back on board, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. When Peterson is given clearance to return, the team believes that the public will be more welcoming and ready for him (link).
  • Todd Gurley‘s season ending injury could serve as a lesson to future college superstars, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The star Georgia tailback has reportedly torn his ACL and Florio wonders if future draft prospects might sit out of college football prior to being eligible rather than risk a serious injury like his.
  • Prior to signing Bacarri Rambo, the Bills also tried out former Chargers safety Brandon Taylor, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
  • The Browns are trying to temper expectations in advance of Josh Gordon‘s return, writes ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon. “We all know what Josh is capable of but let’s not put all this pressure on him to be the savior,” quarterback Brian Hoyer said.
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