The hearing ended Thursday with the testimony of NFL executive V.P. of football operations Troy Vincent. By rule, a decision must be made by Harold Henderson “as soon as practicable.” But that doesn’t mean the NFL and NFL Players Association can’t still work something out on their own.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, a settlement of Peterson’s unpaid suspension under the personal conduct policy remains possible. Obviously, however, a settlement would have to be reached before Henderson issues a ruling.
Henderson likely will be monitoring any settlement talks before he decides the case. He already has urged the two sides to work something out, which means he’d prefer not to issue a ruling.
While the NFL would have realized maximum value by settling the case before Vincent testified, a settlement now would avoid the possibility of another written decision that makes the NFL look bad.