In 2014, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was suspended by the NFL after allegations surfaced that he had been disciplining his 4-year-old son with a wooden switch.
After Peterson’s suspension, the NFL Players Association filed a grievance on Peterson’s behalf against the NFL. The Association claimed that the NFL’s suspension of Peterson was retroactive punishment which is prohibited by NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. The Association contended that the NFL disciplinary policy that was in place at the time the events allegedly occurred dictated that players disciplined for first-time domestic violence could be suspended for no more than two games.
On Tuesday, the NFL reaffirmed its position that the suspension was proper in front of the Eighth Circuit where the action against the NFL was filed. In its brief, the NFL stated “[a]s the hearing officer here found, if Peterson’s discipline was greater than most, it was only because his conduct – child abuse – was worse than most.”