Vikings deactivate AP indefinitely

[A Jet from Oz]

Well, I guess they caved to public pressure...

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000396097/article/vikings-deactivate-adrian-peterson-indefinitely

"Upon further consideration, the Minnesota Vikings have decided running back Adrian Peterson will not remain an active member of the team during his current legal trouble.

Less than two days after activating Peterson for Sunday's game in New Orleans, the Vikings reversed course by releasing a statement early Wednesday explaining that Peterson will be placed on the Exempt/Commissioner's Permission list. That will require Peterson to remain away from all team activities while he takes care of his legal proceedings.

Peterson was deactivated for last week's loss to the New England Patriots after being indicted on a charge of reckless or negligent injury to a child. The decision to activate Peterson for this week came under heavy criticism, including a call from the governor of Minnesota to suspend Peterson.

The statement indicates that Peterson will remain deactivated until his legal proceedings are resolved. Peterson has an initial hearing for his charges on October 8. The Montgomery County District Attorney indicated previously a trial wasn't likely until 2015.

There is not a lot of precedent for using this list, but NFL Media's Jeff Darlington notes that the Philadelphia Eagles placed Michael Vick on the list in 2009 upon signing him as they waited for him to be reinstated by the league.

"This is the best possible outcome given the circumstances," Peterson's agent, Ben Dogra, told The Associated Press. "Adrian understands the gravity of the situation and this enables him to take care of his personal situation. We fully support Adrian and he looks forward to watching his teammates and coaches being successful during his absence."

Peterson posted a message on Twitter shortly after the Vikings released their statement.

Here's the full team statement from Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf, issued shortly after midnight in Minnesota:

"This has been an ongoing and deliberate process since last Friday's news. In conversations with the NFL over the last two days, the Vikings advised the League of the team's decision to revisit the situation regarding Adrian Peterson. In response, the League informed the team of the option to place Adrian on the Exempt/Commissioner's Permission list, which will require that Adrian remain away from all team activities while allowing him to take care of his personal situation until the legal proceedings are resolved. After giving the situation additional thought, we have decided this is the appropriate course of action for the organization and for Adrian.

"We are always focused on trying to make the right decision as an organization. We embrace our role - and the responsibilities that go with it - as a leader in the community, as a business partner and as an organization that can build bridges with our fans and positively impact this great region. We appreciate and value the input we have received from our fans, our partners and the community.

"While we were trying to make a balanced decision yesterday, after further reflection we have concluded that this resolution is best for the Vikings and for Adrian. We want to be clear: we have a strong stance regarding the protection and welfare of children, and we want to be sure we get this right. At the same time we want to express our support for Adrian and acknowledge his seven-plus years of outstanding commitment to this organization and this community. Adrian emphasized his desire to avoid further distraction to his teammates and coaches while focusing on his current situation; this resolution accomplishes these objectives as well.

"We will support Adrian during this legal and personal process, but we firmly believe and realize this is the right decision. We hope that all of our fans can respect the process that we have gone through to reach this final decision."

[RutgersJetFan]

Oy vey with the back and forth with all of these. Go home NFL, you're drunk.

[Shadetree]

Oy vey with the back and forth with all of these. Go home NFL, you're drunk.

LOL...just go home

..does Peterson play at all this year?

[Larz]

yet the 49er who got arrested is still playing

 

get the torches !!!

[Buldawg]

The  NFL way - do the right thing when forced to and then crow about what a great job you did...

[JetsFanInDenver]

Peterson shouldnt have been deactivated in the first place because the NFL standard is to wait for the legal process to play itself out first before punishing the player. But the Vikings were playing the Patriots. So Goodell saw an opportunity to help his friends in New England and had AP deactivated. Only thing when he was reactivated there was a furore.

 

So now the NFL is forced to deactivate AP again while having other players like the one on San Fran 49ers who will keep on playing and most probably all of this season. I wonder where that leaves Greg Hardy.

 

But whichever way you look at it there is heck lot of inconsistency here and Goodell is responsible for it.

[Jetsfan80]

So now the NFL is forced to deactivate AP again while having other players like the one on San Fran 49ers who will keep on playing and most probably all of this season. I wonder where that leaves Greg Hardy.

 

But whichever way you look at it there is heck lot of inconsistency here and Goodell is responsible for it.

 

It seems like video/photo evidence is the driving force here.  Rice's incident had video, AP's kid had photos of his injuries and AP readily admitted he was the cause.  Hardy and McDonald, on top of being less visible stars, did not have evidence of their incidents and, if I'm not mistaken, are denying the charges.

 

EDIT:  Just read that the Panthers are sitting down Hardy this week.  This might apply more pressure on the 49ers to do the same.

 

It would seem "Due process" is no longer an adequate reason to let a player be active with serious charges against them.  NFL players no longer get nor deserve the benefit of the doubt.  After all, if you've been arrested, 99 times out of 100 you've clearly done SOMETHING wrong.

[JetsFanInDenver]

It seems like video/photo evidence is the driving force here.  Rice's incident had video, AP's kid had photos of his injuries and AP readily admitted he was the cause.  Hardy and McDonald, on top of being less visible stars, did not have evidence of their incidents and, if I'm not mistaken, are denying the charges.

 

EDIT:  Just read that the Panthers are sitting down Hardy this week.  This might apply more pressure on the 49ers to do the same.

 

It would seem "Due process" is no longer an adequate reason to let a player be active with serious charges against them.  NFL players no longer get nor deserve the benefit of the doubt.  After all, if you've been arrested, 99 times out of 100 you've clearly done SOMETHING wrong.

 

Moral of the story: Please ensure that there is not video or photographic or audio evidence of your domestic crimes and the NFL will be A-OK!

 

I know i am going to get torched for this but Greg Hardy's case seems to be of a guy who was set off by a gold digger for the sole purpose of a civil lawsuit settlement down the road.

[Jetsfan80]

I know i am going to get torched for this but Greg Hardy's case seems to be of a guy who was set off by a gold digger for the sole purpose of a civil lawsuit settlement down the road.

 

That argument has been brought up in nearly every domestic violence incident it seems.  Even if she's a "gold digger" (possible), a district judge stated in a verdict that Hardy had, at minimum, "terrorized" an ex-girlfriend.  No one deserves that kind of treatment and a civil settlement is not worth the treatment either.

[JetsFanInDenver]

That argument has been brought up in nearly every domestic violence incident it seems.  Even if she's a "gold digger" (possible), a district judge stated in a verdict that Hardy had, at minimum, "terrorized" an ex-girlfriend.  No one deserves that kind of treatment and a civil settlement is not worth the treatment either.

 

To you and me and a lot of fine people here the civil settlement would not be worth the treatment either BUT that does not mean its hold true for everyone.

[Klecko73isGod]

Peterson shouldnt have been deactivated in the first place because the NFL standard is to wait for the legal process to play itself out first before punishing the player. But the Vikings were playing the Patriots. So Goodell saw an opportunity to help his friends in New England and had AP deactivated. Only thing when he was reactivated there was a furore.

 

So now the NFL is forced to deactivate AP again while having other players like the one on San Fran 49ers who will keep on playing and most probably all of this season. I wonder where that leaves Greg Hardy.

 

But whichever way you look at it there is heck lot of inconsistency here and Goodell is responsible for it.

 

No it isn't. The NFL has no standard in this regard. If that was the NFL standard why was Pacman Jones suspended? He was arrested multiple times but he literally was not once formally charged with a crime. 

 

You're right about one thing here - Goodell is responsible for it. The man made a conscious decision 8 years ago to make himself the judge, jury and executioner for NFL justice, rather than design an internal due process system which involved both player and management representation. Further, Demaurice Smith is an accessory to this nonsense by not remotely challenging Goodell's authority during the last CBA negotiations. 

[Jetsfan80]

To you and me and a lot of fine people here the civil settlement would not be worth the treatment either BUT that does not mean its hold true for everyone.

 

Literally not a single woman I know would accept months/years of abuse from a gigantic human being for money.  And even if those women do exist, in no universe is it acceptable to call that woman a "gold digger".  A woman who would accept abuse is not a gold digger, she's a woman with many, many mental issues.

[JetsFanInDenver]

No it isn't. The NFL has no standard in this regard. If that was the NFL standard why was Pacman Jones suspended? He was arrested multiple times but he literally was not once formally charged with a crime. 

 

 

Are you going to argue with me that AP was deactivated as Goodell's special favor to Kraft and the Pats. I think there is no precedent for one specific game only deactivation for any crime.

[Lith]

LOL...just go home

..does Peterson play at all this year?

He will probably be back for Week 14 against us.

[Klecko73isGod]

Are you going to argue with me that AP was deactivated as Goodell's special favor to Kraft and the Pats. I think there is no precendent for one specific game only deactivation for any crime.

 

Oh I am 100% convinced Peterson was deactivated last week BECAUSE Kraft called the commissioner to offer him some gentle "advice" on how to handle the Peterson case and then Goodell called the Vikings and told them to sit him. 

[faba]

From Goodell on down the NFL is looking so sorry right now.

[JetsFanInDenver]

Literally not a single woman I know would accept months/years of abuse from a gigantic human being for money.  And even if those women do exist, in no universe is it acceptable to call that woman a "gold digger".  A woman who would accept abuse is not a gold digger, she's a woman with many, many mental issues.

 

Maybe that's true. Maybe not. May she is just a cold, calculating gold digger. They do exist you know.

[Matt39]

NFL would be better off just letting him play rather than going back and forth looking like reactionary idiots. The floodgates are open at this point....the media and interest groups are out for blood. Whether it be the Redskins, the NFL being the cause of domestic disputes etc...this sh*t isnt going to stop until they ignore it. The TV ratings are getting better, not worse. Use that as a baseline....most folks watch football to escape the political nonsense. 

[Klecko73isGod]

NFL would be better off just letting him play rather than going back and forth looking like reactionary idiots. The floodgates are open at this point....the media and interest groups are out for blood. Whether it be the Redskins, the NFL being the cause of domestic disputes etc...this sh*t isnt going to stop until they ignore it. The TV ratings are getting better, not worse. Use that as a baseline....most folks watch football to escape the political nonsense. 

 

So you are saying the NFL should just allow any sociopathic criminal to play and ignore any public outcry. 

[Matt39]

So you are saying the NFL should just allow any sociopathic criminal to play and ignore any public outcry. 

 

Personally I don't think the outcry matches the overall public opinion. The NFL ratings have gone up this year. 

 

And I think it should be the teams decision which players they want to play and which players they dont. 

[Klecko73isGod]

Personally I don't think the outcry matches the overall public opinion. The NFL ratings have gone up this year. 

 

And I think it should be the teams decision which players they want to play and which players they dont. 

 

You can't base this on TV ratings. It's football. This country loves football. The ratings go up seemingly every year. 

 

I think the NFL needs a clearly defined policy detailing what is and what is not acceptable off field personal conduct for all of it's employees. It also then needs to design and implement a system by which they deal with infractions of said policy in an even handed and judicious manner.

 

My outrage is not necessarily over what Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson did (although I find both despicable and abhorrent) my outrage is over Roger Goodell's complete bungling of this whole sordid affair which clearly includes lying time and time again to cover his and other's asses. You have a commissioner who appointed himself Batman and has failed spectacularly at every turn.

[Matt39]

You can't base this on TV ratings. It's football. This country loves football. The ratings go up seemingly every year. 

 

I think the NFL needs a clearly defined policy detailing what is and what is not acceptable off field personal conduct for all of it's employees. It also then needs to design and implement a system by which they deal with infractions of said policy in an even handed and judicious manner.

 

My outrage is not necessarily over what Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson did (although I find both despicable and abhorrent) my outrage is over Roger Goodell's complete bungling of this whole sordid affair which clearly includes lying time and time again to cover his and other's asses. You have a commissioner who appointed himself Batman and has failed spectacularly at every turn.

 

Goodell should have appointed someone in the league office whose job is to handle discipline matters. 

 

I still think the NFL going back and forth with the discipline makes them look even sillier and weak. It's just opening themselves up for more grandstanding...it's not going to stop until they firm up and just go with their initial decision.

[Klecko73isGod]

Goodell should have appointed someone in the league office whose job is to handle discipline matters. 

 

I still think the NFL going back and forth with the discipline makes them look even sillier and weak. It's just opening themselves up for more grandstanding...it's not going to stop until they firm up and just go with their initial decision.

 

In order to do that they need to remove the commissioner from the adjudication process. The only role the commissioner should have here is veto power if he deems the punishment too severe. 

[Matt39]

In order to do that they need to remove the commissioner from the adjudication process. The only role the commissioner should have here is veto power if he deems the punishment too severe. 

 

I wouldnt be against that....but it gets murky with the players union. The whole process is a mess. Players staying out of trouble would help solve a lot of problems.

[Klecko73isGod]

I wouldnt be against that....but it gets murky with the players union. The whole process is a mess. Players staying out of trouble would help solve a lot of problems.

 

That's why you get a team representing management and a team representing the players together to design a system everyone can agree upon and put it to a vote by both sides. Its called, ummm, what's that word.... COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. 

 

You design a system, implement it and then live with the results, changing it only at times when the CBA is renegotiated. 

[Matt39]

That's why you get a team representing management and a team representing the players together to design a system everyone can agree upon and put it to a vote by both sides. Its called, ummm, what's that word.... COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. 

 

You design a system, implement it and then live with the results, changing it only at times when the CBA is renegotiated. 

 

It's almost impossible to have a set punishment system....unless it's drug testing(which everyone is barking about for being to harsh).

 

Goodell is a boob, but the same folks who have been killing him for being to harsh since he became commish are now getting on him for being too lenient, beginning with the Rice matter. The script seemingly flipped over night. 

 

Tagliabue turned a blind eye to players getting arrested. Goodell came in to change that...its lose lose at this point with how big the league has gotten. You'll never please everyone. My personal opinion is the NFL needs to tell TMZ, Gawker etc to get lost.

[Klecko73isGod]

It's almost impossible to have a set punishment system....unless it's drug testing(which everyone is barking about for being to harsh).

 

Goodell is a boob, but the same folks who have been killing him for being to harsh since he became commish are now getting on him for being too lenient, beginning with the Rice matter. The script seemingly flipped over night. 

 

Tagliabue turned a blind eye to players getting arrested. Goodell came in to change that...its lose lose at this point with how big the league has gotten. You'll never please everyone. My personal opinion is the NFL needs to tell TMZ, Gawker etc to get lost.

 

The league and union just collectively bargained a new drug policy. 

 

They can't collectively bargain this? 

 

These are not stupid people. If I can think of this, someone else can. In fact, I am stunned no one else has brought this up. 

 

TMZ and Gawker aren't going away and that is a good thing. It's good to have media sources that are independent and not beholden to the people they are covering. 

[Matt39]

The league and union just collectively bargained a new drug policy. 

 

They can't collectively bargain this? 

 

These are not stupid people. If I can think of this, someone else can. In fact, I am stunned no one else has brought this up. 

 

TMZ and Gawker aren't going away and that is a good thing. It's good to have media sources that are independent and not beholden to the people they are covering. 

 

DWI's and drug testing would be the only thing the NFLPA would agree to for being collectively bargained. Those are both set and tested events. Everything else there will always be a gray area(unless they have the act on video like in Rice's case). I guess if you get caught on camera they'd be able to bargain that in too.

[Klecko73isGod]

DWI's and drug testing would be the only thing the NFLPA would agree to for being collectively bargained. Those are both set and tested events. Everything else there will always be a gray area(unless they have the act on video like in Rice's case). I guess if you get caught on camera they'd be able to bargain that in too.

 

I think you're wrong. 

 

It would be in the NFLPA's interests to collectively bargain a disciplinary system and anything would be better than letting one guy handle everything. There was discussion of it going into the last CBA. It was Goodell who refused to talk about it and Smit acquiesced. 

 

Something tells me Goodell may be open to discussing it now. 

[Matt39]

I think you're wrong. 

 

It would be in the NFLPA's interests to collectively bargain a disciplinary system and anything would be better than letting one guy handle everything. There was discussion of it going into the last CBA. It was Goodell who refused to talk about it and Smit acquiesced. 

 

Something tells me Goodell may be open to discussing it now. 

 

I'd be willing to be the NFL has brought this to the table in the past and the NFLPA refused to budge on anything that cant be tested.

[Klecko73isGod]

I'd be willing to be the NFL has brought this to the table in the past and the NFLPA refused to budge on anything that cant be tested.

 

Well... you are wrong:

 

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6832575/roger-goodell-retain-conduct-policy-power-cba-sources-say

[jgb]

once you gav

 

NFL would be better off just letting him play rather than going back and forth looking like reactionary idiots. The floodgates are open at this point....the media and interest groups are out for blood. Whether it be the Redskins, the NFL being the cause of domestic disputes etc...this sh*t isnt going to stop until they ignore it. The TV ratings are getting better, not worse. Use that as a baseline....most folks watch football to escape the political nonsense. 

 

agree. now it is well known that any group looking to highlight a cause can piggyback on the popularity of the nfl to get their 15 minutes to raise "awareness"

 

You can't base this on TV ratings. It's football. This country loves football. The ratings go up seemingly every year. 

 

I think the NFL needs a clearly defined policy detailing what is and what is not acceptable off field personal conduct for all of it's employees. It also then needs to design and implement a system by which they deal with infractions of said policy in an even handed and judicious manner.

 

My outrage is not necessarily over what Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson did (although I find both despicable and abhorrent) my outrage is over Roger Goodell's complete bungling of this whole sordid affair which clearly includes lying time and time again to cover his and other's asses. You have a commissioner who appointed himself Batman and has failed spectacularly at every turn.

 

yup. they need a policy that is applied consistently. the case-by-case stuff is a horrible way to run a business and increases legal risk rather than reduces it. it's just all pandering at this point. if goodell really cared about this societal issues he wouldn't have needed his hand forced by outside pressure on the rice and peterson issues.

[JetsFanInDenver]

I don't if its being mentioned but these deactivations come with full play.

So you don't tax your body for one season and get paid vacation. Who says crime doesn't pay.

[flgreen]

IMO the NFL should stay out of off field misconduct.  Let the  courts deal with it.  If they are in jail, and can't play on Sunday then the NFL can smack them around for not fulfilling their contracts.  

[slats]

It's almost impossible to have a set punishment system....unless it's drug testing(which everyone is barking about for being to harsh).

 

Goodell is a boob, but the same folks who have been killing him for being to harsh since he became commish are now getting on him for being too lenient, beginning with the Rice matter. The script seemingly flipped over night. 

 

Tagliabue turned a blind eye to players getting arrested. Goodell came in to change that...its lose lose at this point with how big the league has gotten. You'll never please everyone. My personal opinion is the NFL needs to tell TMZ, Gawker etc to get lost.

I don't think anything flipped. It's perfectly consistent to say that a four game suspension for smoking a joint the first time is too harsh, and that half of that for knocking your girlfriend out cold with your fist is too lenient.

Probably why the penalties for drug infractions have now been significantly drawn back (no suspensions until the fourth offense), and domestic violence puts you on the commissioner's exempt list until you're convicted, then you face a six suspension from there (for a first offense). Violent crimes, particularly against women and children, should draw much harsher sentences than the victimless crime of recreational drug use.