NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell punished Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson with a 15+-game suspension for disciplining his son with a switch. The league's Personal Conduct Policy calls for a six-game for a first time offense. This is a policy that was revised earlier this year due to the Ray Rice fiasco. A fiasco that was caused by Goodell. The Commissioner's first stab at a suspension under the new policy was more than double what was called for by that policy. It appears that Goodell is in way over his head. Everything that he touches turns to chaos. What's the point of even establishing a set of rules if he's going to use extreme latitude in enforcing them. It was no surprise that within minutes of Goodell issuing his punishment of Peterson that the NFLPA appealed the ruling. The unfortunate thing is that Goodell is the one that is called for in this terrific policy to hear that appeal. Peterson and his union obviously want a neutral arbitrator. Rice got one. Maybe, Peterson will get one too.
"AP ruling was less about him, more about sending message to rest of league. NFL wants guys to say, they did that to AP, they'll do that to me."
former Vikings, Seahawks, Titans guard Steve Hutchinson
That's a sad way to operate. The punishment should fit the crime, not make a statement. Peterson has already missed nine games. So what if he was paid. Missing nine games is a severe punishment to a football player like Adrian Peterson but the Commissioner wouldn't know anything about that. Make him pay some of that money back if it makes the league feel better.
In the league's statement, Goodell claimed that Peterson expressed no remorse for this particular act of disciplining his son. Peterson expressed remorse as soon as he realized that this "whooping" went too far. That remorse was evident in the texts that he sent to his son's mother. Goodell even referenced these texts but he clearly didn't read them. Peterson didn't show more remorse for using a switch because he didn't view this form of discipline as being wrong. He didn't view it as being wrong because it was the form of discipline that he knew. Some say it's a cultural thing. They say that using a switch to teach a child right from wrong is a "southern black thing." It's not. It's a generational thing. I experienced this sort of discipline as a child and I'm neither southern nor black. Neither were my parents. I consider not being involved in a child's life a greater form of abuse than disciplining a child with a switch. If Peterson never saw his child, never provided for his child, never disciplined his child, he wouldn't have missed any football games this season. It's astonishing that an absent, neglectful father is more accepted than a father that is involved enough to be around to discipline his child for doing something wrong. Peterson cares enough to support his son. More importantly, he cares enough about his son to spend time with him. He cares enough to discipline his son. It may have been a form of discipline that's out of step with the views of many today but at least he was there. So many fathers aren't. And some are playing football in the NFL without a care in the world.
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