Adrian Peterson Decision Shows for Once NFL Is Ahead of the Culture

The NFL has gotten a lot wrong recently. We all know this.    

It has gotten so much wrong when it comes to domestic violence, for example, that the president of the United States took note on Friday when he appeared on the Colin Cowherd show.

When presidents, who have huge responsibilities like, oh, I don't know, managing a nuclear arsenal, are chastising a sports league, you know it's not great for the sports league. The NFL has been bullying, dizzying and unfair when it comes to some aspects of its discipline. The league's been all over the place. It's been in cover-its-ass mode. I get that.

But on Adrian Peterson, the NFL got it right. It got it so, so right.

Sure, there will be Vikings homers—and still-bitter fantasy football fetishers—who will hate the decision. There will be those who drape themselves in the American flag and say a dad has a right to beat his children. If you are one of those people, you may want to head to Hannity.com.This is about reasonable human beings. People who believe children—four-year-olds—shouldn't be beaten with tree branches. That a four-year-old's scrotum shouldn't be hit with a tree branch. This is about evolving beyond the 18th century.

This is also about a message sent by the NFL—a long overdue one. It's a different era, not just in terms of players who beat their kids. Players need to adapt to these new times. The NFL used to look the other way when it came to these issues. Any issue, really. The NFL always looked the other way. Always.

Five years ago, Peterson would have gotten a fine, maybe a moderate suspension—maybe a game, maybe a half—and played on.

No longer, and that's a good thing.

Peterson's appeal of his season-long suspension being denied Friday ensures that he will remain suspended without pay for at least the remainder of the 2014 NFL season. He won't be considered for reinstatement before April 15. He will forfeit six games checks.

The appeals officer, Harold Henderson, wrote in his decision (which ESPN published in its entirety):


Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2298412-adrian-peterson-decision-shows-its-a-new-era-in-the-nfl