RadioOnFire.com SPORTS: MINNEAPOLIS (Associated Press) — Adrian Peterson's appeal was stopped for no gain, when the NFL's unpaid suspension of the star running back was stayed until next spring.
Peterson won't be considered for reinstatement before April 15, and by then he might not be with the Minnesota Vikings anymore. He'll likely be the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the league, though.
Harold Henderson, the league-appointed arbitrator who heard Peterson's appeal, released Friday his decision affirming the Nov. 18 punishment levied by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for the child-abuse case that kept Peterson out of all but one game this season. He'd been on paid leave, even during the appeal, but Henderson's ruling translated to a fine of more than $4.1 million. That's the six-game portion of his salary this year.
The NFL Players Association argued that Peterson's time on the exempt list, at Goodell's sole discretion, should have counted as time served toward a suspension. That's one of the many grievances the union will likely raise in court. The rift between the league and the NFLPA over the fairness of the disciplinary process has widened this season while the cases of Peterson and former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice played out.
According to a person with direct knowledge of the situation, a complaint will be filed against the NFL on Peterson's behalf in federal court in Minnesota as early as Monday. The person spoke Friday to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the lawsuit had not yet been finalized.
Nothing is final about Peterson's status with the Vikings, either, and coaches and players have said often this year they'd welcome him back. But in an interview Friday with ESPN.com, Peterson said he's been so frustrated by this process with the NFL that he's considered retiring. Focusing on real estate instead and even trying out as an Olympic sprinter in the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes have entered his mind as options, he said.
"You only live once. It might be time for me to pursue that," Peterson told ESPN.com.
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