Troy Vincent will testify in Adrian Peterson's suspension appeal hearing, adding more intrigue to the proceedings and potential helping Peterson's case. Vincent is the NFL's executive vice president of football operations. He also reportedly told Peterson in a taped conversation that the running back's time on the exempt/commissioner's permission list could count as "time served" if Peterson attended a Nov. 15 disciplinary meeting, according to USA Today.
Troy Vincent ordered to testify in Adrian Peterson suspension appeal
Troy Vincent is scheduled to speak Thursday, and address whether he told Adrian Peterson that the running back would be reinstated as soon as his legal issues were resolved.
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Peterson reportedly submitted a transcript of the conversation as evidence to appeals officer Harold Henderson. The NFL Players Association requested that Henderson speak with Vincent. On Tuesday, Henderson ruled that Vincent must testify. According to Pro Football Talk, Vincent will speak Thursday.
Peterson was handed an indefinite suspension in November after being indicted on felony child abuse charges in September, which were reduced to a misdemeanor for which he pleaded no contest. Prior to the suspension, he had been sitting on the exempt list since Week 2 -- essentialy, taking a long paid leave of absence. When Peterson was placed on the list, it was seemingly under the pretense that he would return once his legal situation had been resolved.
That wasn’t the case, and when Peterson was denied reinstatement he immediately filed for appeal.
The severity of the NFL’s punishment seemed to be related to Peterson’s decision to not attend the Nov. 15 disciplinary meeting. Peterson protested the meeting -- scheduled after he resolved his legal battle -- because it suggested that the NFL was going to backing out of the deal it made with the running back when it placed him on the exempt list.
“I will not allow the NFL to impose a new process of discipline on me, ignore the CBA, ignore the deal they agreed to with me, and behave without fairness or accountability,” Peterson said in a statement. “The process they are pushing is arbitrary, inconsistent, and contrary to what they agreed to do, and for those reasons, I never agreed to the hearing.”
Unless a settlement is reached beforehand, Vincent’s testimony Thursday could be pivotal to the outcome of Peterson’s hearing. If Vincent testifies that the NFL had agreed to reinstate Peterson once his child case had ended, we could potentially see the running back suit up this season.
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