The NFL Players Association filed a brief Monday stating that commissioner Roger Goodell violated the collective bargaining agreement and did not have the right to force Adrian Peterson to meet with a league-assigned psychiatrist for counseling and therapy, according to ESPN.com.
The union's position, the report said, is that Goodell is only allowed to fine, suspend or terminate a player's contract. He doesn't have the right to add other disciplinary measures.
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Peterson, who pleaded no contest to a charge of misdemeanor reckless assault on his four-year-old son, was suspended Nov. 18 for the remainder of the season. He was charged in September for endangerment of a child when he punished his son with a switch last year.
The brief states that, "The collectively-bargained NFL Player Contract could not be clearer in expressly limiting the Commissioner's disciplinary authority 'to fine Player[s] in a reasonable amount, to suspend Player(s) for a certain period or indefinitely; and/or to terminate th(eir) contract(s)'. The NFL does not deny that the Commissioner's imposed counseling requirement is neither a fine, suspension, or contract termination, nor would there be any other 'plausible' interpretation of this CBA provision permitting such a requirement.
"Instead, the NFL — like the (suspension) itself — entirely ignores the Player Contract's CBA disciplinary limitation. As the NFL highlights, Arbitrator (Harold) Henderson sustained the counseling requirement of Mr. Peterson's discipline not on the basis of any provision in the CBA, but by relying upon Commissioner Goodell's unilaterally promulgated Personal Conduct Policies."
Part of Goodell's punishment toward Peterson was that the running back meet with Dr. April Kuchuk, a New York University instructor in psychiatry, by Dec. 1.
Peterson has sought therapy on his own, meeting with Howard University psychology professor Dr. Cynthia Winston. He said he has been open with the NFL about his sessions with Winston and, "everyone else who's involved and has an interest in what I've done to better myself."
However, ESPN's Chris Mortensen says the NFL continues to urge Peterson to meet with Kuchuk.
As of this point, Peterson will not be eligible for reinstatement by the NFL until Apr. 15. The NFLPA is seeking to reinstate the running back as soon as possible.