Adrian Peterson has been hit with at least a six-game suspension by the NFL, and must jump through all sorts of hoops in order to gain reinstatement at some later date.
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As of now Peterson’s 2014 season appears to be over, but there is still a faint hope that the appeals process will work out in Peterson’s favor.
I was kidding there. In fact, there is zero hope that the appeals process will lead to Peterson being reinstated even temporarily.
The small hope that Peterson might be allowed to play during his appeal was crushed today when an arbitrator ruled that commissioner Roger Goodell can leave Peterson on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission list as long as he wants.
You need the commissioner’s permission to go on the list and evidently you also need his permission to come off it.
Peterson and the NFLPA have claimed that they had a promise in writing saying Peterson would be removed from the exempt list as soon as his legal issues were cleared up.
But the NFL clearly disputes that notion. The arbitrator today ruled that whatever guarantees Peterson had are utterly meaningless.
In essence, the arbitrator decided that Goodell can do whatever he wants with Peterson. As soon as Peterson agreed to be placed on the exempt list, he essentially gave up his rights.
You can bet no more players will make the mistake of voluntarily going on the exempt list in the future. You can also place a large amount of money on Adrian Peterson never playing another down for the Vikings.
It looks like it’s over for AD in purple, and it’s a sad end indeed.