NFL, NFLPA ordered into settlement talks in Adrian Peterson case

A U.S. magistrate judge has ordered the NFL and the NFL Players Association into settlement talks ahead of an upcoming hearing filed by the players' union accusing commissioner Roger Goodell of contempt of court.

A U.S. Magistrate judge has ordered the NFL and the NFL Players Association into settlement talks ahead of an upcoming hearing filed by the players' union accusing commissioner Roger Goodell of contempt of court, reports Pro Football Talk.

The league issued an indefinite suspension of Peterson in November after he entered a plea of no contest for misdemeanor reckless assault for allegedly hitting his four-year-old son with a switch, but that ruling was overturned in February by a U.S. District Court.

The NFL is appealing the ruling, which required the case to be sent back to the league’s arbitration system, and the union claims the commissioner should be held in contempt of court for failing to return the case to an arbitrator.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Janie Mayeron’s Monday ruling requires the NFL and NFLPA to begin settlement talks either in person or by conference call by July 30, and if a settlement is not reached by August 6, the two sides will have to attend a conference on Aug. 13 immediately before a scheduled hearing for the contempt motion, 1500ESPN.com reports.

Peterson appeared in just one regular season game in the 2014 season, spending much of the season on the Commissioner's Exempt list as a result of the child abuse charges brought against him.