Why Adrian Peterson's suspension signifies a new era in NFL

We all knew it was coming: Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson has been indefinitely suspended by the NFL for the rest of the season without pay. The league announced it on Tuesday morning.

In case you missed it, Peterson was suspended early this season because of his child abuse case involving his four-year old son.

Granted, it's a unique case, unlike the majority of ugly ones we see in the NFL today which usually involve abuse of a spouse; or drugs; or drinking and driving. But, is it that far-fetched or such ancient history that we would have seen a case like this get quickly swept under a rug to allow the superstar that is Peterson to continue playing? No, it's not.

There is only one reason Peterson is feeling the wrath of the league right now. The reason is NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and how he screwed the pooch in the Ray Rice case.

According to Brian Schrotenboer of USA Today, there have been 50 domestic violence cases against NFL players since 2006. One of those included a murder, and five which were assault or choking a pregnant woman. 2006 is the year Goodell took office, and the stats have not looked pretty.

In 14 of the alleged 50 cases, the player was only fined or suspended briefly, mainly for one game. In 16 cases, the player wasn't suspended at all. The point is, the league has rarely taken action as a whole and rested, or reacted to the findings of our legal system.

Ray Rice, Janay Palmer and video tape changed all of this, and now the power will be too much for Goodell to handle.

Peterson is still in the midst of his court battles as his next tentative court hearing is December 1st, yet Goodell took action today, suspending Peterson.

According to CBS Sports, Goodell released a letter explaining the reasons for his decision:

"The timing of your potential reinstatement will be based on the results of the counseling and treatment program set forth in this decision," Goodell wrote. "Under this two-step approach, the precise length of the suspension will depend on your actions. We are prepared to put in place a program that can help you to succeed, but no program can succeed without your genuine and continuing engagement. You must commit yourself to your counseling and rehabilitative effort, properly care for your children and have no further violations of law or league policy."

"First, the injury was inflicted on a child who was only 4 years old. The difference in size and strength between you and the child is significant, and your actions clearly caused physical injury to the child," Goodell wrote. "While an adult may have a number of options when confronted with abuse -- to flee, to fight back or to seek help from law enforcement -- none of those options is realistically available to a 4-year old child. Further, the injury inflicted on your son includes the emotional and psychological trauma to a young child who suffers criminal physical abuse at the hands of his father."

"Second, the repetitive use of a switch in this instance is the functional equivalent of a weapon, particularly in the hands of someone with the strength of an accomplished professional athlete."

"Third, you have shown no meaningful remorse for your conduct. When indicted, you acknowledged what you did but said that you would not 'eliminate whooping my kids' and defended your conduct in numerous published text messages to the child's mother. You also said that you felt 'very confident with my actions because I know my intent.' These comments raise the serious concern that you do not fully appreciate the seriousness of your conduct, or even worse, that you may feel free to engage in similar conduct in the future."

"Your plea agreement in Texas, and the related violation of the Personal Conduct Policy, arise out of abusive injuries that you inflicted on your son earlier this year," Goodell wrote. "Based on public reports of your statements and photographs that were made public at the time of the indictment, you used a 'switch' -- a flexible tree branch -- to punish your son, striking him in the ankles, limbs, back, buttocks and genitals, leaving visible swelling, marks and cuts on his body and risking severe and long-term damage. The visible injuries were such that a local pediatrician in Minnesota, upon examining your son, felt obligated to make a child abuse report to the police. According to contemporaneous media reports, police and medical examiners termed the cuts as 'extensive' and as 'clinically diagnostic of child physical abuse.'"

"Based on the severity of those injuries, a grand jury made up of citizens of Montgomery County, Texas, voted to indict you on a felony charge, reflecting their belief that there was reasonable cause to conclude that you had overstepped the bounds of acceptable corporal punishment and engaged in physical abuse of your child. Moreover, it appears that this is not the first time that you have punished children in this way. Public statements attributed to you indicate that you believe that this kind of discipline is appropriate and that you do not intend to stop disciplining your children this way."

"The well-being of your children is of paramount concern," Goodell wrote. "In the absence of speaking to you to understand your current disposition toward child discipline, we cannot be sure that this conduct will not be repeated. Moreover, we are unaware of any effort on your part to acknowledge the seriousness of your conduct and your responsibility to demonstrate a genuine commitment to change."

"In order to assess your progress going forward, I will establish periodic reviews, the first of which will be on or about April 15, 2015. At that time, I will meet with you and your representatives and the NFLPA to review the extent to which you have complied with your program of counseling and therapy and both made and lived up to an affirmative commitment to change such that this conduct will not occur again. A failure to cooperate and follow your plan will result in a lengthier suspension without pay."

"It is imperative that you to avoid any incident of this kind in the future," Goodell wrote. "Any further violation of the Personal Conduct Policy will result in additional discipline and may subject you to banishment from the NFL."

Notice how "in-front" of the media Goodell is on this one. In the letter he was clear, concise and authoritative; detailing everything necessary for Peterson to be back in "good graces" with the league. He was extremely detailed, covering all areas.

Without condoning Peterson's actions in the least, it's obvious that he had no chance to be reinstated this season. The heat Goodell felt during late summer because of the Rice situation created this outcome to be an obvious one.

What happens though when Goodell makes that mistake of going too far? Think about it. There will be many cases involving allegations of an NFL player for one reason or another. Many for which will be false, simply because somebody wants to earn a buck.

What will the outcry sound when Goodell takes action too quickly because he feels he has to? Instead of blaming the league for not taking things serious enough, they'll blame the league for putting one man in charge of all things discipline.

The Player Union will strike back in anger, feeling unjust consequences are taking place. This could result in a very strained relationship in the not so distant future. A relationship that strained will lead to bad things for the league.

The rapid change from too lenient to overly strict should be cause for concern. The NFL needs to recognize this and not allow one man too much power. It's not fair to the players, the league, or Goodell himself.

The NFL has now entered a new era of discipline, one which is very slippery and dangerous. While the public outcry will fade for now (as mega-stars get nailed with stiff suspensions), watch it heat up again when somebody is wronged in a very public situation.

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