Adrian Peterson is denying he “backed out” of Friday’s league hearing, claiming the pre-discipline meeting wasn’t part of the collective bargaining agreement and he had never agreed to it.
The National Football League Player’s Association (NFLPA) released a statement by Peterson Sunday after ESPN reported the Vikings star back out of a meeting with the NFL that “would have been for a disciplinary decision on Peterson’s past and future” after he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of recklessly injuring his 4-year-old son.
“The report that I backed out of a meeting with the NFL is just not true. When Roger Goodell’s office asked that I attend the ‘hearing’ on Friday, I consulted with my union and learned that this ‘hearing’ was something new and inconsistent with the CBA,” the statement said.
Peterson says the NFL is acting unfair in his case, claiming the league was late to respond to questions about the nature of Friday’s hearing despite repeated attempts from the NFLPA to get clarity, ESPN reports.
In the statement, Peterson continued saying he is “ready to be candid and forthcoming with Mr. Goodell about what happened” but he won’t allow “the NFL to impose a new process of discipline on me, ignore the CBA, ignore the deal they agreed to with me and behave without fairness or accountability.”
Friday’s hearing was more significant than the conference call set for 1 p.m. Monday, which will determine if he will be taken off the commissioner’s exempt list, ESPN notes.
Peterson will miss his ninth game of the season Sunday as the Vikings take on the Chicago Bears.
Statement on Behalf of Adrian Peterson: http://t.co/OtriqjtTwS
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) November 16, 2014
