After news broke out of Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson being able to avoid jail time after a plea agreement reached with prosecutors to resolve his child abuse case, many are asking as to when he will be back playing in the field.
NFL has formally begun conducting their own investigation on the matter in order to set potential punishment under the league's personal conduct policy. The organization had informed Peterson that his status of paid leave will not change not until the investigation is over.
Just recently, NFL has done with their investigation and has made a decision regarding Peterson's status. The ruling states that after Peterson has pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault charges, NFL has decided to suspend him without pay for the rest of the season.
NFL chairman Roger Goodell said in a lengthy open letter to Peterson "he 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."
Goodell also noted the several cases that he took into consideration before making the decision.
According to him "First, the injury was inflicted on a child who was only four years old. The difference in size and strength between you and the child is significant, and your actions clearly caused physical injury to the child. While an adult may have a number of options when confronted with abuse - to flee, to fight back, or to seek help from law enforcement - none of those options is realistically available to a four-year old child. Further, the injury inflicted on your son includes the emotional and psychological trauma to a young child who suffers criminal physical abuse at the hands of his father."
He adds "Second, the repetitive use of a switch in this instance is the functional equivalent of a weapon, particularly in the hands of someone with the strength of an accomplished professional athlete."
And lastly "Third, you have shown no meaningful remorse for your conduct. 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."
