Monthly Archives: November 2016

Greg Hardy to seek reinstatement following Adrian Peterson decision, per report

Carolina Panthers,

Greg Hardy will seek immediate reinstatement from the NFL after a judge overturned Adrian Peterson’s indefinite suspension Thursday, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. Hardy is currently sitting on the commissioner’s permission/exempt list after being convicted on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge in July 2014.

Hardy appealed and had his case dismissed earlier this February. He was never technically under suspension — the exempt list amounts to a paid leave of absence — but he may still face punishment by the NFL for the 2015 season. Hardy is currently the subject of an independent investigation by the league into whether he violated the league’s personal conduct policy.

If found guilty, the question becomes whether Hardy will be subject to the guidelines of the old personal conduct policy, or the new policy that was enacted in December in response to a rash of high profile cases of domestic violence. Judge David Doty ruled Thursday that the NFL overstepped its boundaries by punishing Peterson under the new guidelines for a violation committed when the old policy was in place. If Hardy’s appeal receives a similar decision, he would face a two-game suspension rather than the new policy’s automatic six-game suspension for first-time offenders.

Peterson is not yet reinstated, but it will set in motion the opportunity to go before Henderson and the NFL again in order for him to take the next step under the CBA.

The Vikings released a statement of their own shortly after the NFL announced it would challenge Judge Doty’s decision:

“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.”

The NFLPA is pleased with the result, with executive director DeMaurice Smith stating that it is an example of why neutral arbitration is important:

Peterson was initially suspended after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault charges. Under the terms of the suspension, Peterson would not be permitted to file for reinstatement until April 15, effectively sidelining him for the entirety on this season.

Ryan Fitzpatrick fumbled to cap off the Patriots’ 4th-quarter comeback win

Dallas Mavericks, , ,

The Patriots were trailing the New York Jets, 17-16, late in the fourth quarter, but New England was able to come back and win with a little help from Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

New England scored a touchdown right after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter on a Tom Brady touchdown pass to Malcolm Mitchell. The touchdown gave the Patriots a 22-17 lead, and New England opted to go for two to create a seven-point advantage over New York.

The conversion, a Brady pass to James White, was initially ruled a success, but review showed that the ball didn’t cross the plane.

It’s not generally a smart decision to hold onto the ball that long, and it’s risky especially against an aggressive defense like the Chiefs, but in this case, it worked for Siemian and the Broncos. This play appeared destined to fail, and instead, Siemian was able to hang in there and make it work.

The San Francisco 49ers fell to the Miami Dolphins despite a late-game rally and an opportunity to at least tie the game up and send it to overtime. During San Francisco’s fourth quarter effort to get in the end zone and tie things up against the Dolphins, the officials ruled this 18-yard Colin Kaepernick pass to Jeremy Kerley incomplete.

This is, however, a catch. The refs got it wrong in real time, but after review, the ruling on the field was reversed.

Kerley brings the ball in, gets both feet down, and controls the ball all the way to the ground. There is always some confusion surrounding what is and is not a catch in the NFL, but reversing the initial ruling on this was the right call. Kerley caught it.

The catch kept the 49ers’ final drive alive, but Kaepernick was unable to get into the end zone on the final play of the game, and San Francisco lost to the Dolphins, 31-24.