Adrian Peterson has been sidelined since his indictment for child abuse in September. (Jason Fochtman, The Associated Press)
The battle between the NFL and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson took another turn Saturday when it was reported that he refused to appear at a scheduled disciplinary hearing with the league on Friday.
According to the , Peterson and the players’ association also refused to meet any time in the past week.
Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson informed the NFL in a letter Thursday he was willing to participate in a meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss potential discipline, but wouldn’t attend a Friday hearing the league scheduled because of unanswered questions about the process, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports on Saturday.
Early Sunday, Peterson’s issued a statement through , claiming the NFL’s hearing was :
The report that I backed out of a meeting with the NFL is just not true. When Roger Goodell’s office asked that I attend the “hearing” on Friday, I consulted with my union and learned that this “hearing” was something new and inconsistent with the CBA. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this past week, my union sent emails, letters, and had conversations with his office on my behalf asking about the nature of the hearing, how it was to occur, who would participate, and its purpose. We repeatedly asked them to respond quickly to my questions because I want to cooperate and get back on the field, but they didn’t respond until late Wednesday evening, and even then they didn’t answer important questions about their proposed “hearing.”
After consulting with the union, I told the NFL that I will attend the standard meeting with the Commissioner prior to possible imposition of discipline, as has been the long-term practice under the CBA, but I wouldn’t participate in a newly created and non-collectively bargained pre-discipline “hearing” that would include outside people I don’t know and who would have roles in the process that the NFL wouldn’t disclose. At this point, I’ve resolved my matter in the criminal court; I’ve worked to make amends for what I’ve done; I’ve missed most of the season, and I stand ready to be candid and forthcoming with Mr. Goodell about what happened. However, I will not allow the NFL to impose a new process of discipline on me, ignore the CBA, ignore the deal they agreed to with me, and behave without fairness or accountability. The process they are pushing is arbitrary, inconsistent, and contrary to what they agreed to do, and for those reasons, I never agreed to the hearing.
I’m sorry for all of this, but I can’t excuse their refusal to be fair.
