- Hearing at 2 p.m. ET will determine if Adrian Peterson faces further NFL punishment
- Running back has not played since Week One as child abuse case navigated court
- Peterson has pleaded no contest to lesser charge, misdemeanor reckless assault
- NFL says Peterson missed Friday review of case; Peterson says review is unfair
(CNN) -- The NFL is set to hold a grievance hearing Monday that could put running back Adrian Peterson back on the gridiron, but the hearing follows a weekend of debate over whether the league is treating the Minnesota Vikings star fairly.
Peterson has been on the exempt/commissioner's permission list -- which kept him off the field, with pay -- since September, after allegations he disciplined his 4-year-old son too harshly with a "switch" or thin stick. Initially charged with felony child abuse, Peterson pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault earlier this month.
The running back avoided jail time, receiving probation, community service and a $4,000 fine. But he must attend the league hearing to have the exempt status lifted. The NFL told the NFL Players Association in September that Peterson would be removed from the list once the charges against him were adjudicated.
At the 2 p.m. ET hearing, which Peterson is expected to attend via teleconference, arbitrator Shyam Das will examine Peterson's case and determine whether the running back, who has missed several games, will be further punished under the league's personal conduct policy.
The matter of a Friday review of his case, however, has the NFL and NLFPA at odds, as the league claims Peterson skipped the review, while Peterson has called the review arbitrary and said he "can't excuse their refusal to be fair."
Review goes on; Peterson absent
The Friday review was scheduled with Peterson last Tuesday, a league official told CNN.
"As Mr. Peterson was advised, the purpose of the meeting would be to review his case, and would include a group of outside experts who could offer broader expertise on the legal, clinical and football issues involved," the official said in a statement.
The NFLPA replied on Thursday that "it was unavailable" that day. The league said it would not postpone the hearing because Peterson's camp wants the matter resolved quickly and "we had been given no meaningful reason why Adrian and the union could not appear and participate," the official said.
Peterson also has provided only "cursory materials" in response to the NFL's request for more information on the case, the statement said.
Defense attorney Rusty Hardin referred CNN's requests for comment to sports agent Tracy Lartigue, saying Peterson's legal case had been resolved. Lartigue did not respond to a request for comment.
Hardin told the Pioneer-Press, a St. Paul, Minnesota, newspaper, that Texas law forbade him from handing over materials the state gave him during discovery. Phil Grant of the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, which prosecuted Peterson, told the newspaper private entities aren't entitled to see the prosecution's files.
It's also been widely reported that Judge Kelly Case sealed Peterson's case file earlier this month.
The NFL official told CNN alternative dates were offered for last week's review, but they were deemed unacceptable, so the NFL conducted the review without Peterson present.
"We had hoped that Adrian would take advantage of his opportunity to be heard and present whatever information he believes should be considered before a decision on discipline, counseling and services is made. Because he and the NFLPA elected not to do so, we will have to address this based on the information currently available to us," the official said.
Peterson disputes league claim
Peterson's Sunday statement called reports that he backed out of the meeting "not true."
The review is "something new and inconsistent with" the league's collective bargaining agreement, Peterson said, so the NFLPA contacted the league numerous times last week to inquire about the nature of the review and the logistics. The league responded late Wednesday but "didn't answer important questions about their proposed 'hearing,'" his statement said.
Peterson said he told the NFL he would attend Monday's hearing -- which is in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement -- "but I wouldn't participate in a newly created and non-collectively bargained pre-discipline 'hearing' that would include outside people I don't know and who would have roles in the process that the NFL wouldn't disclose."
He continued, "At this point, I've resolved my matter in the criminal court; I've worked to make amends for what I've done; I've missed most of the season, and I stand ready to be candid and forthcoming with (NFL Commissioner Roger) Goodell about what happened. However, I will not allow the NFL to impose a new process of discipline on me, ignore the (collective bargaining agreement), ignore the deal they agreed to with me, and behave without fairness or accountability.
"The process they are pushing is arbitrary, inconsistent, and contrary to what they agreed to do, and for those reasons, I never agreed to the hearing."
George Atallah, the NFLPA assistant executive director, also released a statement: "The League office seems more focused on creating an arbitrary disciplinary process for Adrian instead of honoring a signed agreement to remove him from the Commissioner's list. They are simply making stuff up as they go along. They should commit their efforts to meeting us at the table to collectively bargain a new personal conduct policy."
Peterson has not played since September 7, when the Vikings took on the St. Louis Rams in Week One of the season. As of Sunday, when the Vikings lost to the division rival Chicago Bears, Peterson has missed nine games. His team is tied for last in the NFC North.
CNN's Christ Khodadadi contributed to this report.
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