AP source: NFL, Peterson to meet Tuesday
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will meet Tuesday with the NFL to discuss his playing status, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
The person spoke Monday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
Peterson was suspended under the league's personal conduct policy through at least April 15 due to the child abuse case involving his young son, a punishment he appealed. Commissioner Roger Goodell has said he planned to meet with Peterson before the anticipated expiration date of the suspension to assess the six-time Pro Bowl pick's status.
The league would not comment on the meeting, spokesman Brian McCarthy said. Peterson's agent, Ben Dogra, declined to comment.
When the punishment was announced Nov. 18, Goodell ordered Peterson to meet with Dr. April Kuchuk, an instructor in the New York University Department of Psychiatry and a consultant to the New York City District Attorney's offices and New York courts, as part of a counseling and treatment program in conjunction with the suspension.
Peterson's appeal was denied by arbitrator Harold Henderson, but the NFL Players Association took the fight to court and U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled Feb. 26 that Henderson's decision must be voided and thus sent back to the arbitration process. In appealing Doty's decision, the NFL tabled Peterson's suspension and placed him on the special exempt list where he spent much of the 2014 season while the child abuse case played out.
The league's appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis was established with a briefing schedule calling for a hearing sometime in June, with the NFL's first written arguments due by Wednesday.
Once Peterson's playing status is clarified, there's still the glaring matter of his disinterest in continuing his career in Minnesota.
Dogra said two weeks ago that the 30-year-old Peterson wants to play elsewhere, but the Vikings have said repeatedly they want Peterson back and have no plan to trade him. Peterson's contract calls for a $12.75 million salary this season and doesn't expire for another three years.
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