Judge rules for Vikings' Peterson in NFL discipline case

Running back Adrian Peterson, suspended by the National Football League (NFL) for hitting his 4-year-old son with a switch, was reinstated to the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday after a federal judge ruled in favor of the NFL players union in a lawsuit.

U.S. District Court Judge David Doty said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell acted beyond his authority in November when he suspended Peterson, and overruled NFL arbitrator Harold Henderson's previous denial of Peterson's appeal.

The league suspended Peterson through at least April 15 for his involvement in a child-abuse case. But Doty said in his 16-page ruling that Henderson "simply disregarded the law of the shop and in doing so failed to meet his duty" under the collective bargaining agreement.

While Peterson, 29, is no longer suspended, it was unclear if the Vikings would take him – and his $13 million salary for 2015 – back.

"This is a victory for the rule of law, due process and fairness," DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, said in a statement. "Our collective bargaining agreement has rules for implementation of the personal conduct policy and when those rules are violated, our union always stands up to protect our players' rights.

"This is yet another example why neutral arbitration is good for our players, good for the owners and good for our game."

Peterson, who was the NFL's most valuable player in 2012, pleaded no contest in Conroe, Texas, in November to a misdemeanor assault charge for spanking his son with a switch and was ordered to pay a $4,000 fine and perform community service.

Wire services