Adrian Peterson's 2014 fine affirmed by appeals court

The NFL won a round Thursday in ongoing litigation with Adrian Peterson, when a federal appeals court affirmed an arbitrator's ruling that upheld the league's authority to fine the Vikings running back in connection with a 2014 child assault case.

The Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling does not affect Peterson's playing status, but it does affirm the league's sanctions.

And it means Peterson must pay the NFL fine, whose current value has been calculated at a little over $2 million.

Under public scrutiny over the league's handling of a previous domestic assault incident and facing a firestorm over Peterson's case, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo in August 2014 saying that players with first-time domestic-violence offenses would be subject to six weeks' suspension without pay.

When Peterson and the NFL players' union challenged the suspension in court, a federal judge ruled in Peterson's favor.

But the Vikings appealed the judge's decision, noting that an arbitrator had found that the NFL players' collective-bargaining agreement gives Goodell the authority to increase player discipline in certain cases.

The Eighth Circuit reversed the judge's decision, affirmed the arbitrator's ruling and remanded the case with directions to dismiss the NFL Players Association's petition to vacate the arbitrator's decision.

Stephen Montemayor • 612-673-1755

Twitter: @smontemayor