Sports

Union Heads to Court to Get Adrian Peterson Back on Field

Published

10 years ago

February 6, 2015

In this Oct. 16, 2011, file photo, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson watches from the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game in Chicago. Adrian Peterson remains in NFL limbo and his union’s latest attempt to restore his playing status will take place in federal court on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Pro Football Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The latest attempt by star running back Adrian Peterson to get back on the field will come in a federal courtroom.

Attorneys for the NFL Players Association were scheduled to argue Friday for the Minnesota Vikings standout’s reinstatement from a suspension levied by the league under its divisive personal conduct policy. The punishment, stemming from the child abuse case involving Peterson and one of his young sons, has widened the divide between the NFL and the NFLPA over player discipline.

The effort on behalf of Peterson, who is suspended through at least April 15, is the legal equivalent of fourth-and-really-long.

When Peterson’s appeal was denied Dec. 12 by an arbitrator appointed by the league, the union sued. Its petition to overturn the decision contends that the suspension, guided by Commissioner Roger Goodell’s enhanced punishments for players involved with domestic violence after the Ray Rice case, strayed from the collective bargaining agreement. The NFLPA also argued the decision is unfair and arbitrator Harold Henderson was biased and exceeded his authority.

“Courts are not impotent bystanders to miscarriages of arbitral justice,” the NFLPA’s lawyers wrote last week in reply to the NFL’s request that U.S. District Judge David Doty toss out the case.

Peterson and the union found a potentially friendly courtroom, given Doty’s history of ruling in favor of players over three decades of refereeing the league’s labor disputes. But he has not exclusively sided with the union, which has a difficult case to make.

It acknowledged as much in the first sentence of the initial filing: “This Petition presents the Court with the rare Arbitration Award that must be set aside.”

Federal labor law typically prevents judges from trumping the arbitration process in collectively bargained workplaces.

“I would go a step further than saying it’s ‘rare,'” said Justin Eller, a management-side labor and employment lawyer for the Baltimore-based Miles and Stockbridge firm. “I would say it’s incredibly rare for these decisions to be reversed. They’ve got some compelling arguments to make, but I do think they’ve got an uphill battle on this.”

Peterson, originally charged with felony child abuse, avoided the possibility of jail time by pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault for using a wooden switch to discipline his 4-year-old son.

As part of a revamped personal conduct policy approved Dec. 10, Peterson essentially received a six-game unpaid suspension. But he played in only one game in the 2014 season, spending most of it on paid leave through a special exempt list controlled solely by Goodell while his case played out in Texas.

Peterson’s best hope for a court-ordered reinstatement might be retroactivity. The injuries he caused occurred in May, and Goodell didn’t announce the increased penalty until August.

“There’s something about that that doesn’t feel right,” Eller said.

In its Jan. 26 reply, the NFLPA wrote that the CBA “could not be clearer in expressly limiting” Goodell’s disciplinary authority. But that’s a matter of interpretation for Doty.

“The CBA gives him pretty broad authority to discipline players,” Eller said. “Part of this is their own contract that’s going to work against them with some of these arguments they want to make.”

Peterson’s status with the Vikings has been complicated by the expiration date on the suspension. If they decided to keep him on his current contract, he would draw a $12.75 million salary in 2015 and carry a salary cap hit of $15.4 million that’s by far the biggest of any running back in the league.

With plenty of other needs to address on the roster, allocating that much money to that position is almost unfathomable for a team that hasn’t hesitated to cut a veteran player despite popularity and production.

The free agency and trading period begins March 10, just 11 days before Peterson’s 30th birthday. That’s also more than a month before the earliest he could be reinstated by Goodell, unless Doty were to beat him to it.

The Vikings drafted Jerick McKinnon in the third round last season, and general manager Rick Spielman said last month he sees the rookie running back class this year being as deep as it’s been in a while. Even if they weren’t interested in signing a free agent to replace Peterson, they could also try to deal him for draft picks.

Simply releasing Peterson would only count $2.4 million in dead money against the team’s salary cap for 2015 and nothing thereafter, but letting him leave without any compensation would be a big blow to the organization.

“He’s going to play at a very high level when he comes back,” Spielman said recently. “I don’t know if there’s a team in the NFL that wouldn’t want Adrian Peterson on their football team.”

___

Online:

AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

With More Back Problems, Tiger Woods Out at Torrey Pines

Don't Miss

Michael Oher Released by Titans

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Bay Area

Love Life Organization Shows Love

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day. It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2024

Oakland Post

Members of the 1975 NBA championship team, Charles Dudley (left) and Clifford Ray (right) embrace Love Life Foundation leader Donald Lacy for his antiviolence mission. Courtesy photo.

City of Oakland Celebrates 1975 NBA World Championship Team

By Donald Lacy

Special to The Post

As part of Love Life Week, the Love Life Foundation was honored to produce the 1974-75 World Champion Golden State Warrior Day.

It’s a shame that our first Bay Area World Championship team’s unique accolades had been lost in the pre social media era and the cultural revolution of the 1970s.

The 1975 NBA World Championship team were invited back to the City of Oakland last Friday, to be properly celebrated for their ground-breaking performance in 1975.

The heartwarming ceremony highlighted the recent passing of the legendary coach of that team, Al Attlles, and his former players Clifford Ray and Charles Dudley were on hand to represent the “Cardiac Kids” as they were called back then for their ability to make great comeback victories during their run for the title.

Warriors great Chris Mullin and former spiritual advisor Gary Reeves gave heartfelt testimonies of their experiences under Attles’ leadership and their relationship with the inspiration they received from the NBA 1975 World Champion Golden State Warriors.

The City of Oakland provided proclamations to all parties with speeches made by city leadership including Mayor Sheng Thao and Deputy Mayor Dr. Kimberly Mayfield and activity host Love Life non-profit founder and Executive Director Donald E. Lacy Jr..

There will be a celebration of life event Nov. 9 honoring Attles’ legacy at Alameda College.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

California Black Media

Several Black Californians Are Playing Key Roles in LA 28 Olympics Planning

From politicians and businesspeople to athletes and community leaders, a number of Black Californians are contributing to the thought leadership that is shaping the planning of LA28, the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

From left to right: IOC Member Hong Zhang, IOC Vice President Nicole Hoevertsz, Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach, LA28 President Casey Wasserman, James T. Butts, Mayor of Inglewood, IOC President Thomas Bach, Marqueece Harris-Dawson, the President of the Los Angeles City Council (IOC/Greg Martin)

By Lila Brown, California Black Media

At the forefront is Los Angeles’ first Black woman mayor, Karen Bass, who has, in many ways, become the face of the Games in the City of Angels.

“The 2028 Games present an incredible opportunity to unite our city and lift up every corner of Los Angeles,” said Bass during a historic event at Los Angeles City Hall on Sept. 13, when the Olympic and Paralympic flags were unveiled and installed.

The event marked the return of the Olympic flag to L.A. since 1984, when the city hosted the Olympics for the second time. It was the first time the Paralympic flag was raised in California’s largest city.

“From creating jobs to supporting small businesses, we are committed to ensuring that these Games benefit all Angelenos — not just for the summer of 2028, but for decades to come,” Bass added.

Nearly two months after the Olympic flag handover from Paris to Los Angeles, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach visited Los Angeles.

Bach toured several of the city’s newest world-class sporting venues, including the SoFi Stadium and the recently opened Intuit Dome, both located in Inglewood. At the stadiums, he was joined by two other Los Angeles County Black mayors, whose cities will be key to hosting LA28 events: Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts and Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.

SoFi Stadium, known as the home of NFL teams the LA Rams and LA Chargers, will host swimming competitions during the LA28 Games, with a temporary pool set to make it the largest swimming venue in Olympic history, boasting 38,000 seats. Intuit Dome, Inglewood’s newest state-of-the-art venue and home to the LA Clippers, will host the Olympic basketball tournament in the 18,000-seat arena.

In an interview with California Black Media ( CBM), Butts highlighted Inglewood’s central role in the upcoming Games, stating, “Inglewood will host the Opening and Closing ceremonies, basketball, and swimming competitions of the 2028 Olympic Games. This will be our second hosting of Olympic Basketball, the first in 1984.”

Marqueece Harris-Dawson, President of the Los Angeles City Council, also attended the tour.

Harris-Dawson is one of the leading backers of PlayLA, a parks development program that promises to provide sports programming to “young Angelenos of all abilities.” The initiative is funded by a $160 million investment from the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the International Olympic Committee.

Black Californians serving on the LA28 Board include Businesswoman Mellody Hobson; decorated Paralympian Lex Gillette; former Netflix Executive Dana Smith; President of the LA County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO Yvonne Wheeler; and television host, retired sprinter and four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson.

Rosalyn Brant Clark, a 1976 Olympic silver medalist and mother of three-time Paralympian Breanna Clark, said while the “Games for All” theme is promising, she is looking for more concrete action that impacts the lives of ordinary people, including Black Californians.

“They are going to need to show me more on that one before it gets my stamp of approval,” she added, challenging organizers to ensure genuine inclusivity.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

Ohemaa Nyanin Named GM of Valkyries WNBA Team

The Bay Area is filled with excitement, and much of the conversation is about the Bay Area’s newest WNBA team — the VALKYRIES! The Golden State Warriors were awarded the 13th team in the WNBA last October, and just four months ago, the team’s General Manager was announced — Ohemaa Nyanin.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Getty Images

By Y’Anad Burrell

Nyanin’s parents are from Ghana, and she was born in Maryland. Nyanin’s experience in this industry precedes her both as a former college player and on the business side. Nyanin is an American University alumna who played on the Eagles’ women’s basketball team. In 2019, Nyanain joined the WNBA team, The New York Liberty, initially serving as the director of basketball operations before she became assistant general manager.

“No excuses,” Nyanin said. “We are here, first and foremost, as humans, and secondly to win basketball games. So how do we do that, and how do we do that in the most inclusive way?”

From viewing interviews that Nyanin has done since her arrival in the Bay Area, a constant theme in her conversations is talking about taking a “people first” approach. Nyanin talks about how she will be focused on the players, staff, and fans as she navigates and executes her role as general manager. Health, both mentally and physically, is important to Nyanin, as I’ve seen in her many interviews.

Just days ago, The Golden State Warriors announced the head coach for the Valkyries — Natalie Nakase.

Nakase has been the assistant coach for the Las Vegas Aces for the past three seasons, where she was a part of the Aces’ back-to-back championship run in 2022 and 2023. Before joining the Aces’ coaching staff, Nakase spent ten seasons with her hometown team, the Los Angeles Clippers, and their G League.

The Valkyries will practice at downtown Oakland’s Golden State Warrior space and play games at Chase Center in San Francisco. This is an excellent opportunity to experience both sides of the water.

The Valkyries WNBA season opens May 2025 at Chase Center in San Francisco, and the Valkyries website shows over 18,000 season-ticket deposits. For clarity, if someone is ‘interested’ in purchasing season tickets, a $25 deposit is required. The Chase Center’s capacity is a little over 18,000, so you can imagine how electrifying the stadium will be during all home games.

Ohemaa, welcome to the Bay and The Town!