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Peterson, 29, was suspended by National Football League
Commissioner Roger Goodell on Nov. 18 until at least April 15
for beating his 4-year-old son with a tree branch.
But the 2012 NFL most valuable player, who has played in only
one game this year, was successful in lobbying for an arbitrator
to hear his case for reinstatement.
The arbitrator was Harold Henderson, a former NFL executive vice
president of labor relations who has heard 87 appeals since 2008
involving personal conduct and drug issues.
There were several pieces to Peterson's argument against
Goodell's punishment, among them that his offense occurred in
May but the league's stiffened sanctions against domestic
violence were announced in September.
Faced with mounting criticism over the widely held perception
that the NFL was soft on its players who committed domestic
violence, Goodell has promised to roll out an entirely new
platform on the issue by the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.
The only witness reportedly at the New York hearing on Thursday
was NFL executive Troy Vincent, who could not attend its first
day, Tuesday, because he was testifying in Washington, D.C.,
before Congress on domestic violence.
Prior to being suspended by Goodell, Peterson had been on the
commissioner's "exempt list," which took him off the field but
allowed him to collect his $11.75 million salary.
Goodell removed Peterson from the list and suspended the
six-time Pro Bowler without pay after he pleaded no contest on
Nov. 4 to misdemeanor reckless assault of his son.
(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Eric
Beech)
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