Federal judge vacates NFL's Adrian Peterson ruling

Adrian Peterson

A federal judge overturned the NFL’s suspension of Adrian Peterson on Thursday, sending the case back to the CBA process.

Federal judge David Doty issued a 16-page ruling Thursday saying the NFL’s arbitrator exceeded his authority last fall in suspending the Minnesota Vikings running back. The Star Tribune reported that the federal order Thursday, “sends the case back for further arbitration proceedings ‘consistent with’ the players’ collective bargaining agreement.” The NFL can appeal the decision.

MORE: Peterson's agent, Vikings exec have 'heated exchange'

The decision does not mean Peterson has been reinstated for NFL play.

The NFL released a statement Thursday evening to say it would appeal the ruling.

"Judge Doty’s order did not contain any determinations concerning the fairness of the appeals process under the CBA, including the commissioner’s longstanding authority to appoint a designee to act as hearing officer," the statement says. "Even so, we believe strongly that Judge Doty’s order is incorrect and fundamentally at odds with well-established legal precedent governing the district court’s role in reviewing arbitration decisions. As a result, we have filed a notice of appeal to have the ruling reviewed by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. In the interim, Adrian Peterson will be returned to the Commissioner Exempt List pending further procedings by appeals officer Harold Henderson or determination by the Eighth Circuit Court."

The NFL suspended Peterson on Nov. 18 after he pleaded no contest to a charge of reckless assault involving the discipline of his 4-year-old son. The NFL designated the suspension to cover "at least" the final three games of the 2014 season and fined Peterson six weeks' pay.

Peterson appealed the suspension, and the NFL Players Association argued that the time he had already missed in 2014 should count as time served. Peterson missed all but one game last season. But the suspension was upheld by an arbitrator on Dec. 12, with the arbitrator ruling that Peterson's placement on the commissioner's exempt list did not qualify as discipline. The NFLPA then filed a lawsuit challenging the arbitrator's ruling. Under the suspension, Peterson would have been eligible to apply for reinstatement to the NFL on April 15.

The NFLPA released a statement from executive director DeMaurice Smith following Thursday's ruling:

“This is a victory for the rule of law, due process and fairness. Our collective bargaining agreement has rules for implementation of the personal conduct policy and when those rules are violated, our union always stands up to protect our players' rights. This is yet another example why neutral arbitration is good for our players, good for the owners and good for our game.”

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