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The NFL has suspended running back Adrian Peterson for at least the remainder of the season. If the suspension holds Peterson will lose $4,147,059 in salary and possibly be required to forfeit an additional $847,059 of signing bonus money that he was paid in 2011.
The NFL had previously allowed Peterson to be deactivated with pay through the creative use of the exempt list to skirt the rules of the CBA related to team related discipline, which is limited to 4 games. The league now suspended Peterson under their personal conduct policies since Peterson’s legal situation was resolved.
Why they needed to wait this long to suspend him under such a policy is really beyond me other than the NFL continuing to make things up as they go along due to the pressure they were under regarding the incidents related to Ray Rice and Peterson.
Peterson is still under contract to the Vikings for the next few years, though its unlikely they would have honored his contract in 2015 regardless of the NFL’s decision in this matter as the cost was excessive for the position he plays.
Jason is the founder of OTC and has been studying NFL contracts and the salary cap for over 15 years. Jason has co-authored two books about the NFL, Crunching Numbers and the Drafting Stage, which are widely circulated in the industry and hosts the OTC Podcast. Jason’s work has been featured in various publications including the Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, NFL Network and more. OTC is widely considered the leading authority on contract matters in the NFL.