At some point, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will play professional football again. We just don't know when exactly that point will come.
A decision regarding Peterson's playing future is expected sometime soon. Should an agreement be reached, "it's believed Peterson would be eligible to play in 2015, without restriction or limitation," writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. "The question would become whether and to what extent he'd forfeit game checks for the balance of the 2014 season."
Remember, Peterson was eligible to collect his full salary while on the NFL's exempt list from Week 3 to Week 10. At that point, the NFL suspended Peterson for the remainder of the season, to which Peterson's camp immediately appealed.
"If a deal isn't reached [hearing officer Harold] Hender will have to issue a decision," Florio wrote. "The decision, if adverse to Peterson, will spark (per a source with knowledge of the plan) the immediate filing of a lawsuit in federal court in Minnesota. The legal action would challenge Henderson's impartiality, pointing to his lingering ties to the league and a decision that would go against the clear weight of the evidence, as Peterson and the NFL Players Association perceive it."
Henderson could also rule in favor of Peterson, which would be the second reversal of an NFL decision by a neutral third party. Last week, U.S. Judge Barbara S. Jones overruled the league office's indefinite suspension of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice. Another such occurrence would bring heavy scrutiny to NFL decision makers.
Should Peterson be reinstated, it's unclear if his career would continue with the Vikings. Early speculation suggested a potential trade or release from the team. However, no hint on Peterson's future with the franchise has been giving from anyone within the organization recently. Peterson, 29, could be a valuable addition to a team looking for running back help.
