Adrian Peterson News: Judge Sides With Vikings RB in Appeal Against the NFL

It's a lucky Thursday for Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson as U.S. District Judge David Doty overturned the decision of NFL arbitrator Harold Henderson to deny the running back's appeal which could mean that Peterson may soon be reinstated in the league.

According to ESPN, the order, which came less than three weeks after the hearing of the oral arguments, will send back the case for more proceedings, "consistent with the rules of the collective bargaining agreement."

Peterson was suspended for a child abuse case which came as a shock to the entire league. But in his ruling, Doty mentioned that Henderson "simply disregarded the law of the shop and in doing so failed to meet his duty."

A similar CBS Sports report explained that the decision sided with the case the of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) which sought for immediate reinstatement for Peterson.

"This is a victory for the rule of law, due process and fairness. 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," said NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith in a statement quoted by CBS Sports.

The same report noted that if the ruling stands, Peterson will be reinstated then he can already return to the Vikings or to other teams.

His former team has also expressed their willingness to welcome Peterson back to the team after his legal battles.

"Adrian Peterson is an important member of the Minnesota Vikings, and our focus remains on welcoming him back when he is able to rejoin our organization. Today's ruling leaves Adrian's status under the control of the NFL, the NFLPA and the legal system, and we will have no further comment at this time," read the Vikings' statement.

Meanwhile, NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told ESPN that the league disagrees with Doty's decision.

"We believe strongly that Judge Doty's order is incorrect and fundamentally at odds with well-established legal precedent governing the district court's role in reviewing arbitration decisions. As a result, we have filed a notice of appeal to have the ruling reviewed by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals," McCarthy added.

The NFL spokesperson noted that the player will "not be immediately reinstated." Instead, he will be placed on the exempt list of commissioner Roger Goodell "pending further proceedings by appeals officer Harold Henderson or a determination by the Eighth Circuit Court."

"The commissioner's exempt list permits a player and team to communicate," McCarthy said adding that players on the exempt list have the capacity to be traded, released or have their contracts restructured.