LOS ANGELES: Adrian Peterson’s appeal of his NFL suspension in the wake of a child abuse charge has been denied, the league said Friday.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello issued a brief statement posted on NFL.com saying an appeals officer appointed by the league to hear the case had affirmed the season-long suspension handed out to Peterson after he pleaded no-contest to a reduced charge to avoid jail time in the severe spanking of his four-year-old son.
Peterson, 29, was suspended without pay on November 18 by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who said the Minnesota running back would not be eligible for reinstatement until April 15 - after the current season ends.
The league said Peterson’s plea - for smacking his son with a tree branch so hard that it created cuts, welts and bruises - put him in violation of its personal conduct policy.
Third party arbitrator Harold Henderson concluded that Peterson did not prove his claim that the process surrounding the league’s discipline was unfair.
“He was afforded all the protections and rights to which he is entitled and I find no basis to vacate or reduce the discipline,” Henderson ruled.
Peterson received probation and a $4,000 fine over the incident, and was required by a Texas judge to perform 80 hours of community service.
Goodell, however, chastised the player for showing “no meaningful remorse” for his conduct.
The NFL commissioner said remarks made by Peterson at the time of his indictment “raise the serious concern that you do not fully appreciate the seriousness of your conduct, or even worse, that you may feel free to engage in similar conduct in the future.”
Henderson also said that Peterson’s public comments “do not reflect remorse or appreciation for the seriousness of his actions.”
Peterson, the 2012 NFL Most Valuable Player, has played in just one game this year, the Vikings’ season-opener in September.
As public outrage grew over the abuse charge he faced, he was placed on the commissioner’s special exempt list, barred from NFL activity, but still drawing his salary as his case went through the courts until his November suspension.
Henderson rejected Peterson’s argument that his time spent on the exempt list constituted disciplinary action by the league.
The NFL Players’ Association immediately responded, suggesting it would take Peterson’s case to court.
“The NFLPA expected this outcome, given the hearing officer’s relationship and financial ties to the NFL,” the union said in a statement - a comment on Henderson’s former job as an NFL executive vice president of labor relations.
“The decision itself ignores the facts, the evidence and the collective bargaining agreement. This decision also represents the NFL’s repeated failure to adhere to due process and confirms its inconsistent treatment of players. Our union is considering immediate legal remedies.”
