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NFL: Adrian Peterson Suspension Overturned

NFL: Adrian Peterson Suspension Overturned

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson's suspension amid a child cruelty case has been overturned by a federal judge.

An NFL arbitrator "failed to meet his duty" against Peterson and should not have denied the player's appeal against his ban, said the ruling.

Peterson was suspended indefinitely after pleading no contest last November to a misdemeanour charge for whipping his four-year-old son with a tree branch.

US District Judge David Doty said in his 16-page ruling that arbitrator Harold Henderson "simply disregarded the law of the shop, and in doing so failed to meet his duty" under a collective bargaining agreement.

The case centred on the application of the enhanced personal conduct policy, which increases a suspension for players involved in domestic violence from two games to six.

Because this was implemented after the injuries to Peterson's son, the NFL Players Association contended that the prior standard of punishment should apply.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league would "review the decision".

But the players association's executive director DeMaurice Smith said it was a "victory for the rule of law, due process and fairness".

Peterson's future with the Vikings, who he has played for since being drafted in 2007, remains uncertain.

He is under contract until 2017, and a number of high ranking team officials have said they want him to come back.

However, Peterson told ESPN in a recent interview he felt betrayed by the organisation, and the possibility of him being traded to another team has been mooted.