Adrian Peterson Shock- Minnesota Vikings Running Back To Be Suspended For Rest Of Season Without Pay Over Child Abuse Scandal: Will He Appeal Harsh NFL Decision?

Adrian Peterson will not play in the NFL for the remainder of 2014-15 season. That's the decision handed down by the NFL and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell today, that the Minnesota Vikings running back will be suspended without pay for the remainder of the season. The player's legal team and the NFL players association, though, are planning an immediate challenge on the basis that the discipline handed down by the NFL is inconsistent.

The league decided that Peterson, who pleaded no contest to a charge of misdemeanor reckless assault, after being indicted in September on a felony charge of injury to a child, would not play in the 2014-15 NFL season, after missing the season to date on the Commissioner's exempt list while his court case was resolved. Peterson was accused of disciplining his 4-year-old son with a switch and causing injuries including "cuts, marks and bruising to his thighs, back and on one of his testicles", says ESPN.

As per the ESPN report, the superstar running back will "not be considered for reinstatement before April 15, 2015, for violating the league's personal conduct policy". Peterson has three days to lodge an appeal. 

The league reportedly issued a lengthy letter to Peterson, outlining in a statement its reasons for reaching the suspension decision. 

The statement says: "The timing of your potential reinstatement will be based on the results of the counseling and treatment program set forth in this decision. Under this two-step approach, the precise length of the suspension will depend on your actions. We are prepared to put in place a program that can help you to succeed, but no program can succeed without your genuine and continuing engagement. You must commit yourself to your counseling and rehabilitative effort, properly care for your children, and have no further violations of law or league policy."

The letter also outlined why the NFL are taking such a hardline stance with Peterson, saying that the player hasn't responded well to idea that his actions were wrong. 

"You have shown no meaningful remorse for your conduct," the letter from Goodell said. "When indicted, you acknowledged what you did but said that you would not 'eliminate whooping my kids' and defended your conduct in numerous published text messages to the child's mother. You also said that you felt 'very confident with my actions because I know my intent.'"

"These comments raise the serious concern that you do not fully appreciate the seriousness of your conduct, or even worse, that you may feel free to engage in similar conduct in the future."

NFL.com report that Peterson will lose "$4.2 million if he is suspended over the next six games and isn't owed any more guaranteed money". Up until now, as he was on the 'exempt list', Peterson was still being paid by the Vikings. 

The NFL Players Association, according to NFL.com, responded by releasing a statement that point out that the Peterson decision was "another example of the credibility gap that exists between the agreements they make and the actions they take." 

Said ESPN analysts Mike Golic and Chris Carter, "I'm not that surprised. If you start to read between the lines, it seems if there was a problem maybe in the counseling or maybe in what they were advising Adrian to do, maybe he didn't do it," offered Carter. 

"I thought when he was suspended he was done for the season," Carter continued, "not because of the act, but because of his inability to understand what happened. The amount of counseling they want him to go through, it doesn't seem like he's willing to do that, I think that's what the glitch is right now. His not wanting to go to New York to meet with the commissioner, i think that was the final blow."

Mike Golic added "from that standpoint of what was written about the new personal conduct policy. I guess I'm not surprised." 

While the actions of Peterson were quite clearly heinous, Deadspin point out that "It's hard not to read this punish as the NFL attempting to cow Peterson-and other players-into submitting to the league's authority, which these days is looking pretty tenuous."

It certainly feels that, along with the Ray Rice domestic abuse scandal, that the NFL are trying their hardest to protest themselves and their brand's image by reacting so strongly. Was the NFL's decision to suspend Peterson for the rest of the season fair? How do Vikings fans feel?