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Vikings RB Adrian Peterson will be spending much of his free time in the foreseeable future inside of a federal courtroom, as he seeks to overturn his NFL-mandated suspension handed down in November. Peterson, who plead no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment for hitting his 4-year old son with a "switch," was suspended by the NFL until at least April 15, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.
President of the NFL player's union Eric Winston and the NFL Player's Association are both backing Peterson, citing irregularities with punishment protocol in the revised NFL player's conduct policy agreement. Commissioner Roger Goodell is alleged to have taken a unilateral view of the new policy, tailoring specific amendments applicable to the cases of both Ray Rice and Peterson, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
While the revised conduct policy was adopted on Dec.10 after unanimous approval from the NFL owners, the NFLPA has alleged the policy was adopted without consent of their group, which they claim is a violation of the collective bargaining agreement, as the player conduct policy would be deemed "an NFL rule."
While the revision of the player conduct policy has been a hot-button issue, it just one of many that separate the NFL and NFLPA. The league has discussed adding additional preseason games or expanding the current playoff schedule, and both options have met with disapproval from the NFLPA. The league's use of outside counsel for internal investigations has also been viewed as an unpopular move.
The lights at University of Phoenix Stadium have barely cooled off from the Super Bowl, and the NFL offseason is already off to a tumultuous start. Josh Gordon has been suspended for the 2015 season. Johnny Manziel has checked into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility. D'Qwell Jackson was arrested for assault. Joseph Randle is reportedly under investigation for domestic violence. Letroy Guion has been charged with felony possession of a firearm and felony possession of marijuana.
And the beat goes on.