Adrian Peterson

Peterson Discipline Decision May Come Soon

November 17th, 2014 at 6:56pm CST by Luke Adams

7:56pm: Peterson’s team initiated talks last week on a potential settlement but those discussions went nowhere, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter).

7:36pm: A ruling will likely come between now and Wednesday, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Peterson also requested, for a second time, to meet personally with Roger Goodell via the union’s letter, but he has yet to receive a reply, according to one of Mortensen’s sources (on Twitter).

Meanwhile, the league says that they agreed to give Peterson the exact type of hearing that he requested, only to have him pass on it (link). The NFL has also made it clear that disciplinary action for Peterson will focus on the incident of Peterson beating his child, which brought the initial charges, Mortensen tweets.

5:29pm: Peterson’s grievance seeking immediate reinstatement was heard by an arbitrator via a conference call, which took about 30 minutes, tweets Chris Mortensen of ESPN. The arbitrator, Shyam Das, told the participating reps in the grievance that he would have a decision “quickly,” Mortensen tweets.

11:51am:The NFL may announce a decision on additional discipline for Vikings running back Adrian Peterson today, according to multiple reports. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets that an announcement on Peterson’s discipline could happen before his afternoon hearing, while Peter King of TheMMQB.com writes in his weekly column that he expects the league to issue its decision today, with Peterson appealing the sanction immediately.

There are currently two parallel issues to be resolved for Peterson, whose hearing today relates to his grievance to be removed from the commissioner’s exempt list. Arbitrator Shyam Das will have five days to issue a ruling on that matter, meaning it should be worked out by Saturday. However, with the NFL expected to announce a possible fine or suspension for Peterson, that matter will have to be resolved as well — Peterson would likely file an appeal within three days, giving the league another three days to hold an appeal hearing and make a decision, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk details.

With so many balls up in the air, it seems unlikely that Peterson will suit up for the Vikings this coming weekend against Green Bay, though that isn’t entirely out of the question. We should get a better idea of whether or not the All-Pro running back will play this season when the league announces its decision on discipline, which could happen in a matter of hours. Despite having sat out half the season so far, Peterson is expected to face a suspension since he was still being paid during his absence.

NFC Notes: Peterson, Bush, Unger, Williams

November 16th, 2014 at 7:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As we learned last week, the NFLPA filed a grievance for an expedited Adrian Peterson hearing, which will occur on Monday. As Albert Breer of NFL.com details out (in a series of Twitter links), Peterson could return to game action as early as next Sunday. In one possible scenario, Peterson could win the grievance on Monday, be immediately suspended by the league, appeal the suspension, and play while the appeal process takes place. In the event that the Vikings running back is disciplined on Monday, a key term will be “time served,” notes Breer. Under the league’s new domestic violence policy, a first-time offender receives a six-game ban. Peterson has missed nine games while on the commissioner’s exempt list, so we’ll have to see how the NFL factors in those absences when levying a suspension. Here’s more from the NFC, including some injury updates on several key players:

Saints safety Rafael Bush suffered a fractured tibia during today’s loss against the Bengals, and will be sidelined for the forseeable future, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. New Orleans already lost one key defensive back earlier this season, when free agent signee Jairus Byrd was placed on injured reserve after injuring his knee. As Triplett notes, the Saints will look to recent addition Jamarca Sanford and rookie Marcus Ball to step in for Bush.
The Seahawks might need to replace a key member along their offensive line, as head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, that center Max Unger suffered a high ankle sprain during today’s game. Carroll didn’t estimate how much time Unger would miss, but such injuries usually involve a four-to-six-week recovery period. Second-year center Patrick Lewis is Unger’s direct backup.
Washington tackle Trent Williams will undergo an MRI tomorrow, but the early word is that he sprained his MCL, per John Keim of ESPN.com. Williams luckily escaped ACL damage, but it’s still conceivable that he’ll miss some game action.

Peterson’s Take On Missed Hearing

November 16th, 2014 at 9:06am CST by Rory Parks

Although Adrian Peterson missed a disciplinary hearing on Friday (which PFR’s Luke Adams discussed in detail), Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the NFL could still make a disciplinary decision next week and that Peterson could return to the field as early Week 12.

While that sounds like good news for Peterson, he is unhappy with the NFL’s characterization of his failure to appear at Friday’s hearing. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets that Peterson and the NFL Player’s Association would have agreed to a meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell, but they rejected a “hearing” with outside experts. In a statement issued through the NFLPA, (the full version of which can be found here), Peterson had this to say:

“The report that I backed out of a meeting with the NFL is just not true. When Roger Goodell’s office asked that I attend the “hearing” on Friday, I consulted with my union and learned that this “hearing” was something new and inconsistent with the CBA.

After consulting with the union, I told the NFL that I will attend the standard meeting with the Commissioner prior to possible imposition of discipline, as has been the long-term practice under the CBA, but I wouldn’t participate in a newly created and non-collectively bargained pre-discipline “hearing” that would include outside people I don’t know and who would have roles in the process that the NFL wouldn’t disclose.

I’m sorry for all of this, but I can’t excuse their refusal to be fair.”

Again, the grievance hearing that is scheduled for tomorrow appears set to take place as expected, with Peterson’s imminent return a possible outcome of that hearing, but this latest development may further complicate was has already become a convoluted saga. As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk succinctly puts it, “The fight between Peterson and the NFL does not appear likely to end soon.”

Latest On Adrian Peterson, NFLPA

November 15th, 2014 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The hearing for the grievance filed on behalf of Adrian Peterson by the NFL Players Association is scheduled for Monday, but the Vikings running back didn’t appear at another hearing that was supposed to happen yesterday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

Monday’s hearing is related to whether or not Peterson should be immediately reinstated as part of his agreement to be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list until his legal case was resolved. Yesterday’s meeting was a disciplinary hearing, intended to help the NFL decide what sort of penalty – if any – to assess for Peterson’s violations of the league’s personal conduct policy. Having initially been set for Tuesday, yesterday’s scheduled disciplinary hearing had already been moved back once by the league.

“We informed the union that we were unwilling to postpone the hearing beyond this week given that the player and union had both expressed a strong desire to resolve this matter as soon as possible and we had been given no meaningful reason why Adrian and the union could not appear and participate,” said a league official. “We offered other alternatives for this week, but those also were not acceptable. We also have yet to receive more than cursory materials in response to our requests for information on the case. Accordingly, we went forward with the review on Friday as scheduled.

“We had hoped that Adrian would take advantage of his opportunity to be heard and present whatever information he believes should be considered before a decision on discipline, counseling and services is made,” the official continued. “Because he and the NFLPA elected not to do so, we will have to address this based on the information currently available to us.”

While the NFL expressed disappointment with the apparent lack of cooperation by Peterson and the NFLPA, the running back, his lawyer Rusty Hardin, and the union don’t seem happy with league’s approach to the situation. According to Hardin, it’s against Texas state law to give the NFL all the documents it requested, and Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports that Peterson informed the league on Thursday he wouldn’t attend the hearing because the league hadn’t clearly answered questions about the role of outside experts in the process. Meanwhile, NFLPA spokesperson George Atallah said the Players Association never agreed to Friday’s meeting.

“The league office seems more focused on creating an arbitrary disciplinary process for Adrian instead of honoring a signed agreement to remove him from the commissioner’s list,” Atallah said. “They are simply making stuff up as they go along. They should commit their efforts to meeting us at the table to collectively bargain a new personal conduct policy.”

On the subject of collectively bargaining a new conduct policy, the NFLPA submitted a proposal to the league this week, making several suggestions involving discipline for personal conduct violations. As Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun outlines, the union doesn’t want to see players punished based on simply an arrest or pending charges — instead, the proposal calls for discipline to be meted out once a matter is adjudicated, with a neutral third-party – rather than the commissioner or a team – deciding on the penalty.

If the union’s proposal were applied to Peterson’s case, the running back either wouldn’t have been forced to sit out the eight games he has already missed while his case was pending, or – if he had agreed to take a take a paid voluntary leave of absence – those games would qualify as time served.

CAA Fires Ben Dogra

November 15th, 2014 at 10:35am CST by Ben Levine

SATURDAY, 10:35am: The circumstances surrounding Dogra’s termination from CAA are still uncertain, but a future legal battle now seems inevitable. Liz Mullen of SportBusiness Journal (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com) reports that Dogra has hired lawyer Rusty Hardin to handle the brewing legal battle. Hardin told Mullen that the agent is still owed “millions” for his final two years under contract…

“They are basically trying to figure out what the cause is now, because they didn’t have any. They were afraid he was going to leave. They tried to pick the exit strategy that would allow them not to pay him.”

THURSDAY, 9:19pm: Creative Artists Agency has fired agent Ben Dogra for cause, a league source tells ESPN (via Twitter). Dogra is one of the NFL’s most prominent agents and represents the likes of Adrian Peterson, Richard Sherman and J.J. Watt. The reason for his dismissal is unknown at this time. Peterson, for his part, will stay on with CAA, as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com tweets.

Dogra released a statement regarding the termination (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter):

“I want to thank CAA for the great time we have had together. There are absolutely no hard feelings about my moving on, and I am excited to be writing a new chapter in my sports agency career. I am really looking forward to bigger and better things in the NFL agency business, and I will continue to always be devoted to the best interest of my clients.”

Dogra has a number of impressive accolades on his resume, including ranking number seven on Forbes list of the most powerful sports agents. As ESPN’s Darren Rovell (and the website’s news service) points out, any client who wishes to continue with Dogra will need to submit a filing with the Players Association. The player will be free to switch agencies following a five-day waiting period.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Breer’s Latest: Colts, London, Dez, Peterson

November 14th, 2014 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Colts did win a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning, the team watched as other clubs with less offensive firepower – like the Patriots, Steelers, and Giants – won multiple titles during the 2000s. So after drafting Andrew Luck, owner Jim Irsay was determined to put together a more balanced roster that was capable of holding its own on defense and special teams as well, writes Albert Breer of the NFL Network. This Sunday’s showdown against the Pats is a major test for the Colts, who have been outscored 102-46 in the two Luck/Tom Brady matchups to date. In addition to exploring that game, Breer also touches on a few other topics of note in his latest column at NFL.com, so let’s round up the highlights….

NFL executive VP of international Mark Waller tells Breer that the league was encouraged by the success of the three games in London in 2014. While Wembley Stadium’s availability in 2015 made it impossible to play more than three games there next year, Waller says he’d be “very disappointed” if there aren’t at least four London games on the schedule in 2016.
To this point in his career, the Cowboys have kept a close eye on Dez Bryant, but if and when he signs a long-term deal with the club, his status in the locker room will have to change, as will the way the team handles him, writes Breer. As the NFL.com scribe points out: “Players in any locker room keep score by salary and pay keen attention to how their most richly compensated teammates are treated.”
“Time served” will be an oft-used phrase during Adrian Peterson‘s hearing this coming Monday, according to Breer, who says that fining and reinstating the Vikings running back is one possibility for the league, rather than assessing an additional suspension on top of the games he has already missed.
Breer suggests keeping an eye on the free agent market for quarterbacks this offseason — while there are no huge names on expiring contracts, prospective free agents like Mark Sanchez, Brian Hoyer, and Ryan Mallett could finish the season as respectable starters.

AFC North Notes: Rice, Peterson, Campbell

November 12th, 2014 at 6:40pm CST by Zachary Links

More than halfway through his first season as a head coach, Mike Pettine says he still hasn’t gotten the feeling that he has mastered the craft, writes George Thomas of the Akron Beacon Journal. “No, this is, very much so, a what-have-you-done-lately business,” the Browns coach said. “We go from the high of the Pittsburgh game to the low of Jacksonville, and I think the day you think that you have the answers or you’ve got it all figured out you’re very close to being humbled. It’s a challenge week to week. Each week is a fresh set, and you’re judged on that as you go. I’ll have a lot more time when the season’s over to sit down and go back and say, ‘What did we do right? What did we do wrong? What do we need to change moving forward?” More out of the AFC North..

Based on what he has been hearing, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report expects Adrian Peterson to play again while former Ravens running back Ray Rice probably won’t. Both embattled running backs are viewed as pariahs, but Rice is the bigger pariah of the two. Rice will probably be reinstated sometime soon, but at the moment, team officials say there is almost no interest in the running back. One exec says that teams are weighing Rice’s ability versus the media storm that would rain down on any team that employs him. Very few teams, if any, want to take that on.
The Ravens worked out fullbacks Jordan Campbell and Nikita Whitlock, tight ends Tom Crabtree and Nathan Overbay, and quarterback Bryn Renner, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News regraded the 2014 draft and gave Ravens rookie C.J. Mosley an A+, putting the No. 17 pick far ahead of Jadeveon Clowney (No. 1 overall), Greg Robinson (No. 2), and other highly-touted prospects.

Adrian Peterson Hearing Set For Monday

November 11th, 2014 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of the NFL Players Association filing a grievance on behalf of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter links) report that the hearing for Peterson will happen next Monday, November 17.

Because the union filed an expedited grievance, one of four it can use per year, a hearing was required to happen within seven days, so next Monday would have been the latest it could occur. Once the hearing concludes, arbitrator Shyam Das will have an additional five days to make a decision.

The NFLPA is looking to get Peterson removed from the commissioner’s exempt list, arguing that when the running back agreed to be placed on the list back in September, he agreed to remain there “until the criminal charges pending against him are adjudicated.” Despite Peterson’s legal case being resolved last week, his status remains unchanged, as the league attempt to determine what sort of penalty he’ll face.

If the grievance does result in Peterson being reinstated, he could – and likely will – still face additional discipline. However, he would be eligible to play until the NFL announced that penalty. Of course, just because he’s eligible to play doesn’t mean he’ll hit the field right away for the Vikings. At least one report suggested the 29-year-old isn’t currently in game shape, and while Peterson’s Minnesota teammates want to see him back in the lineup, the team’s ownership and front office will have to sign off on that as well.

Although it appears as if the grievance and hearing process will take the maximum alloted time, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote earlier today that it shouldn’t have to drag on that long. A conference call involving Das, the league, and the NFLPA is scheduled to happen as soon as today, and Florio suggests that a few pointed questions from Das during that conference call should be enough to make a decision.

NFLPA Files Adrian Peterson Grievance

November 10th, 2014 at 7:14pm CST by Luke Adams

7:14pm: The NFL has issued a statement on the Peterson matter, per Schefter:

“We have received the NFLPA’s grievance on behalf of Adrian Peterson. We have honored our commitment to Mr. Peterson and the NFLPA not to process or impose any discipline until the criminal charges pending in Texas were resolved. When Mr. Peterson decided not to contest criminal charges, we promptly advised both him and the NFLPA that we were prepared to consider what, if any, discipline should now be imposed under the Personal Conduct Policy. We asked Mr. Peterson and his representatives, including the NFLPA, for relevant information. We have not received any of the requested information, but remain prepared to schedule a hearing and make a determination as quickly as possible based on as much information as available.”

5:41pm: The collective bargaining agreement states that an expedited grievance must be heard within seven days, and a decision must handed down five days after that, reports Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter). As such, it’s possible we could see the process concluded before Sunday’s game against the Bears, but it’s probably more likely that Peterson will have to wait until Week 12 , when the Vikings play the Packers, to see a resolution.

4:56pm: The NFL Players Association announced today that it has filed an expedited, non-injury grievance to remove Vikings running back Adrian Peterson from the commissioner’s exempt list, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The grievance states that, based on explicit language in a signed agreement from September, the NFL had agreed to keep Peterson on the exempt list until his legal case was resolved.

“We asked the NFL to honor the terms of that agreement last week and as of now, they have failed to respond or comply,” reads the union’s statement. “It is our obligation to protect all players’ rights, and we will pursue any and all breaches of any contract between a player and his team or the NFL”

We heard over the weekend that the NFLPA had demanded Peterson’s reinstatement, and intended to file a grievance if the NFL didn’t make an announcement by Tuesday. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the NFLPA had actually given the league a deadline of Monday at 5:00pm eastern time, so it makes sense that the union has gone ahead and filed that grievance already. Per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link), the union is allowed to file four expedited grievances per year. When such a grievance is filed, the two sides are expected to act in “good faith” to resolve the issue before the affected player’s next game.

Peterson hasn’t played since Week 1 after being indicted on child abuse charges stemming from an incident in Texas. After initially planning on activating Peterson for Week 3, the Vikings reversed course; Peterson, the club, and the league eventually agreed that the running back would be placed on the commissioner’s list, where he would be paid but not allowed to play, until his case was resolved. Peterson accepted a no-contest plea last week, but the NFL has yet to announce a course of action regarding his future.

As Florio notes, even if Peterson wins this grievance, it doesn’t mean he will avoid suspension. Rather, he’ll be able to re-join the Vikings until his league-imposed discipline is decided upon. Additionally, it’s unclear what the fan, media, and sponsorship reaction will be to a potential Peterson return, given the nature of the incident that resulted in his deactivation.

NFC Notes: Peterson, 49ers, Palmer, Cox

November 9th, 2014 at 8:31pm CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings front office has become very sensitive about bringing back running back Adrian Peterson following his prolonged legal saga, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who adds that there are “no guarantees” the club would welcome him back if he’s reinstated by the NFL. Citing multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, La Canfora writes that the Vikings harbor “serious concerns” about Peterson’s physical and mental state — while the running back accepted a no-contest plea, the team isn’t sure he recognized the seriousness of the charges he was facing. La Canfora also hears from sources that Peterson isn’t currently in game shape.

As we wait to see what the NFL and the Vikings decide to do with the former All-Pro running back, let’s check in on several other items from around the league….

The Vikings should cut Peterson and let another team deal with the circus surrounding his return, argues Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
49ers nose tackle Ian Williams suffered what head coach Jim Harbaugh called a “small fracture” in his left leg today, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle details. The team’s regular nose tackle, Glenn Dorsey, is on track to return soon from off the injured reserve list, but if he’s not quite ready yet, Quinton Dial figures to get the start next week.
According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Carson Palmer‘s new extension features $10MM in guaranteed signing and roster bonuses, as well as a $10.5MM salary for 2015 that’s guaranteed for injury. So even though he may have torn his ACL today, the Cardinals quarterback has secured $20.5MM in guarantees over the course of this year and next year.
Giants running back Michael Cox was in a wheelchair with what appeared to be a serious leg injury following the team’s loss in Seattle today, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, who tweets that the club is likely to add a replacement running back this week. The Giants confirmed tonight that Cox fractured the lower part of his left leg, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
Lions offensive lineman Larry Warford doesn’t have an ACL injury, a source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Warford will undergo further tests to determine the severity of his knee injury.
Jeremy Maclin bet big on himself when he turned down a multiyear contract offer from the Eagles in the offseason to sign a one-year deal, and that decision is paying off, writes Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

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