Adam Schefter is reporting that Vikings RB Adrian Peterson declined to appear Friday at a scheduled disciplinary hearing with NFL despite agreeing to meeting earlier last week, per an NFL official.
Vikings RB Adrian Peterson declined to appear Friday at a scheduled disciplinary hearing with NFL despite… http://t.co/ePwKPhRryn
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 15, 2014
According to the report, the NFL also charged that Peterson would not give the NFL an alternative date for the disciplinary hearing.
The Friday meeting was the one that would have been for a disciplinary decision on Peterson’s past and future.
“We informed the union that we were unwilling to postpone the hearing beyond this week given that the player and union had both expressed a strong desire to resolve this matter as soon as possible and we had been given no meaningful reason why Adrian and the union could not appear and participate,” said a league official. “We offered other alternatives for this week, but those also were not acceptable. We also have yet to receive more than cursory materials in response to our requests for information on the case. Accordingly, we went forward with the review on Friday as scheduled.
“We had hoped that Adrian would take advantage of his opportunity to be heard and present whatever information he believes should be considered before a decision on discipline, counseling and services is made. Because he and the NFLPA elected not to do so, we will have to address this based on the information currently available to us.”
NFLPA spoksperson George Atallah said Peterson’s attorney Rusty Hardin provided the NFL with a letter saying it is against Texas state law to give the NFL the requested documents.
“The League office seems more focused on creating an arbitrary disciplinary process for Adrian instead of honoring a signed agreement to remove him from the Commissioner’s list,” Atallah emailed Saturday. “They are simply making stuff up as they go along. They should commit their efforts to meeting us at the table to collectively bargain a new personal conduct policy.”
