Peterson plea deal...

[Purple Reign]

If Vincent did not have the authority, then why was he making promises? Who told Vincent to call Peterson? Who gave him the authority to make the call or told him to make the call? And a verbal contract is just as valid as a written one. This isn't a case of he said this, but no I didn't. It's on tape. There is no way Vincent can claim he did not say it.

Who knows? And no, Vincent can't claim he did not say it because it's on tape, but whether Peterson can use that as his only evidence to sue the NFL and win is highly doubtful. AP might be able to sue Vincent for something in civil court, but don't think he has much to stand on to sue the NFL.

[Raptorman]

Who knows? And no, Vincent can't claim he did not say it because it's on tape, but whether Peterson can use that as his only evidence to sue the NFL and win is highly doubtful. AP might be able to sue Vincent for something in civil court, but don't think he has much to stand on to sue the NFL.

Not sure about the lawsuit and how it's going to go. I think they will have a tough time with it in court. However. There are several problems with the Vincent tape. If Vincent didn't say it at the behest of the NFL than that means he is a rogue executive. If he did say it at the behest of the NFL, then they lied about what he said. It sure sounds like a promise to me. And if that's the case, it's still a problem. The NFL will not be able to explain away Vincent's statements. Now, this may not get anywhere in the court room, but it sure will hold water for the players. It says to the players, "You can't trust what anyone in the front office of the NFL says."

[Raptorman]

Ok, I just read the brief that the NFLPA filed in federal Court for the lawsuit. Very interesting reading. A few key points.

The CBA allows the commissioner to punish players through fines and suspensions. This was bargained for under the CBA. It does not allow for them to mandate treatment by NFL approved doctors. This is something that was not bargained for and something that Goodell just made up. This point is made several times throughout the document. This is part of what the NFL demands of Peterson before he is reinstated.

The NFL wanted to chose Peterson's counselor because the commissioner had a problem with who he was seeing. They also suggested that they help chose the counselor for his son.

It points out that Vincent made several references to Peterson being punished under the old policy and that he had to talk it over with "them". Apparently meaning Goodell and others at the NFL headquarters. Goodell then suspended him under the "new" policy.

It points out that Henderson used several key statements and ideas from the Rice hearing but ignored the one key fact that Rice could not be suspended more than two games from the old policy, and could not be retroactively suspended under the new policy.

It points out that Henderson totally dismisses Petersons statements about his remorse for what happened yet Henderson used unverified new stories, which were not part of the hearing to make his determination on Peterson's level of remorse.

I still think it will be a tough road to get it overturned, but they made some valid points. Some of Goodell's testimony from the Rice hearing was blacked out. I wonder, if this is dismissed if we will see an un-redacted version online.

For those that want to read.

https://nflpaweb.blob.core.windows.net/ ... tition.pdf

[Purple Reign]

Not sure about the lawsuit and how it's going to go. I think they will have a tough time with it in court. However. There are several problems with the Vincent tape. If Vincent didn't say it at the behest of the NFL than that means he is a rogue executive. If he did say it at the behest of the NFL, then they lied about what he said. It sure sounds like a promise to me. And if that's the case, it's still a problem. The NFL will not be able to explain away Vincent's statements. Now, this may not get anywhere in the court room, but it sure will hold water for the players. It says to the players, "You can't trust what anyone in the front office of the NFL says."

I think that should pretty much be a given (not to trust someone just because they said so) and it is just common sense to get any type of agreement/promise in writing so there is no question in the future, especially in relation to a job. And in this case, I wouldn't even trust a written statement signed by Vincent, I would only have accepted one signed by Goodell.

[DK Sweets]

Excellent post, Raptorman. Thank you for the information.

[J. Kapp 11]

Here's what I know ...

"So remember, A.P., you're not, today, you're not subject to the, to the new personal conduct policy."
-- Troy Vincent

And ...

"The Commissioner has broad discretion to impose appropriate discipline for violations of the personal conduct policy, and his recent pronouncements simply reflect his current thinking on domestic violence and other incidents involving physical force."
-- Harold Henderson

Those two statements tell us all we need to know. Vincent lies, and Henderson is a mouthpiece for Goodell. Really fair process, NFL.

Gotta hand it to Goodell, though. He got his a$$ kicked by a truly independent arbitrator in the Rice case, so he made sure that wouldn't happen again by appointing a minion posing as an independent arbitrator. Shrewd, Goodell. Shrewd.

[Purple bruise]

"The NFL Players Association's lawsuit against the NFL on behalf of banished Vikings star Adrian Peterson is scheduled to reach federal court next month in Minnesota.

The case is on the docket of U.S. District Court Judge David S. Doty at 2 p.m. on Feb. 6, Doty's office said Monday. - See more at: http://www.prosportsdaily.com/articles/ ... pMK7G.dpuf

[DK Sweets]

Well, hopefully this moves quickly...

[dead_poet]

Adrian Peterson - RB - Vikings

Vikings GM Rick Spielman said the team wants Adrian Peterson back once he is reinstated.

"I don’t know if there’s a team in the NFL that wouldn’t want Adrian Peterson on the football team," Spielman said. Peterson is eligible to apply for reinstatement on April 15, though he could win reinstatement sooner if an NFLPA lawsuit filed on his behalf is successful. Even if Peterson is reinstated, there would be hoops to jump through before he rejoined the Vikings, least of which is the $13 million he is owed in 2015. Going on 30 and coming off a lost season, Minnesota may balk at devoting that much money to Peterson, and it is unclear if Peterson would be willing to take a pay cut. Regardless of the difficulties ahead, it now appears more likely than not Peterson returns to Minnesota next season.
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... um=twitter

[Mothman]

Adrian Peterson - RB - Vikings

Vikings GM Rick Spielman said the team wants Adrian Peterson back once he is reinstated.

"I don’t know if there’s a team in the NFL that wouldn’t want Adrian Peterson on the football team," Spielman said. Peterson is eligible to apply for reinstatement on April 15, though he could win reinstatement sooner if an NFLPA lawsuit filed on his behalf is successful. Even if Peterson is reinstated, there would be hoops to jump through before he rejoined the Vikings, least of which is the $13 million he is owed in 2015. Going on 30 and coming off a lost season, Minnesota may balk at devoting that much money to Peterson, and it is unclear if Peterson would be willing to take a pay cut. Regardless of the difficulties ahead, it now appears more likely than not Peterson returns to Minnesota next season.
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... um=twitter

[DK Sweets]

That's definitely not bad news. It also seems like even the most outraged fans have seen that he got punished plenty, so there isn't a down side IMO.

[frosted]

I want him to play for the Vikings next year..I really don't care what his cap number is either, it's not as if it's handicapping this team, we are in good shape financially. He's going to have a fantastic season for us next year. Book it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mothman]

NFL asks court to toss out NFLPA's petition for overturn of Adrian Peterson's suspension

The NFL has asked a federal court to reject the petition by the NFL Players Association on behalf of Adrian Peterson to have the star running back's suspension overturned.

Attorneys for the league, in a 35-page filing Friday in Minneapolis, wrote that U.S. labor law should prevent the court from handling a dispute already ruled on by the arbitrator for Peterson's appeal.

The NFL argued that the NFLPA's 74-page petition, filed Dec. 15, amounted to "nothing more than a transparent effort to re-litigate all of the issues" previously decided on by arbitrator Harold Henderson. Commissioner Roger Goodell, through the collective bargaining agreement between the two parties, has the power of discipline, the league wrote.

The hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6 in front of U.S. District Judge David Doty. The NFL suspended Peterson through at least April 15 for the child-abuse case he was involved in, and Peterson's appeal was denied by Henderson, a former a league official.

The union accused Henderson of bias in the petition, but the NFL's lawyers wrote that actual prejudice couldn't be demonstrated.

"And evident partiality cannot serve as a basis for vacating an award," the league said.

[dead_poet]

Where will Adrian Peterson play next season? If there were no legal issues, Peterson would be back in Minnesota. But now it is far less certain. The Vikings would like him back -- they've made that fairly clear -- but Peterson might not be entirely comfortable returning to Minnesota.

That is the bigger issue here. And if he's not comfortable in Minnesota, then the question becomes where Peterson would like to play. By my count, at least a half-dozen teams have done some background work on Peterson in the event he becomes available, per league sources. Makes sense, too. Both the Seahawks and Patriots have proved that running the football is key to winning championships. There will be a team, maybe even the Dallas Cowboys, that wants to make Peterson the centerpiece of its offensive attack next season. But (to put it in injury terms) Peterson is questionable for Minnesota, probable for somewhere else.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2014/st ... fter-blitz

[Mothman]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2014/st ... fter-blitz

Thanks for the link even though reports like this drive me crazy. Do you suppose Schefter has any inside info on Peterson's intentions at all or is he just engaging in more speculation? What leads him to draw the conclusion that Peterson "is questionable for Minnesota, probable for somewhere else". Is he just playing the odds? After all, most of us could have written the same basic report, even without Schefter's connections. I don't have any "league sources" but it's a safe assumption that at least a half-dozen teams have done some background work on one of the league's premier players in the event he becomes available.

I'll be glad when we can finally get some real answers on Peterson's future with the Vikings, although I kind of dread what they might be ...