after the injuries to Petersons then-4-year-old son were

MINNEAPOLIS -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodells power to freely punish Adrian Peterson has prevailed, two seasons after the Minnesota running back became embroiled in a child-abuse case that heightened the dispute over league discipline.A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that an NFL arbitrator acted within his rights by upholding Goodells six-game suspension of Peterson in 2014. That came under the personal conduct policy the league toughened up following a brutal act of caught-on-video domestic violence committed by Baltimore running back Ray Rice.The 8th Circuit ruling overrode the decision issued Feb. 26, 2015, by U.S. District Judge David Doty that found NFL arbitrator Harold Henderson overreached his authority in handling the NFL Players Associations appeal on behalf of Peterson.Appellate judges James Loken, Diana Murphy and Steven Colloton heard the leagues arguments Oct. 19, 2015.The dispositive question is whether the arbitrator was at least arguably construing or applying the contract, including the law of the shop, Colloton wrote for the panel. The arbitrator here undoubtedly construed the Rice decision in reaching his decision. Disagreement with his conclusion is not a valid ground on which to vacate the decision.The NFL had no immediate comment on the ruling, issued about 27 months after the injuries to Petersons then-4-year-old son were reported.The NFLPA issued a statement of resignation.Our union pursues all claims because we believe in due process, fundamental fairness and in the spirit of collective bargaining agreements. While the NFLPA disagrees with the decision, we accept this loss, the union said. When negotiation or collective bargaining fails to resolve our differences, we will always fight and pursue every recourse for our players rights.The leagues primary argument was that a judge should not be able to intervene in a collectively bargained labor dispute like this, and the appeals court agreed.Doty had sided with the NFLPAs contention that the six-game ban, announced by Goodell on Aug. 28, 2014, couldnt apply retroactively to Peterson since the boy was hurt more than three months before the enhancement of the personal conduct policy. Peterson was indicted on Sept. 12, 2014, by a grand jury in Texas after it found him guilty of disciplining the boy with a tree branch. He eventually pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault.Peterson was on paid leave for nine games. Then Goodell issued the unpaid suspension with six games left on Minnesotas schedule. The league collected half of the roughly $4.1 million that Peterson was to forfeit, the proration over a 17-week basis from his $11.75 million salary for that year. It held off on the remaining three-game fine, pending the NFLPAs petition to Doty to vacate Hendersons decision.After playing in only one game in 2014, Peterson returned to the Vikings last year and led the league in rushing with 1,485 yards. The dispute in front of the 8th Circuit, then, boiled down to power, principle and about $2 million.The league has gotten its share of court losses to the union, but not lately and not at the higher level.Three weeks ago, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York issued a rejection of requests by the NFLPA and Tom Brady to reconsider a decision that reinstated a four-game suspension of the New England Patriots quarterback. Brady was punished for his role in deflated footballs during the AFC championship game after the 2014 season.As with Deflategate, the Peterson case was ultimately about the scope of Goodells power over player discipline and well beyond the initial behavior that landed him in trouble in the first place.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Sneakers From China . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. Cheap Wholesale Sneakers Free Shipping . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. http://www.shoesonfire.ru/ . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. Authentic Shoes For Cheap . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. Discount Shoes Website . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. SEATTLE -- Mike Fiers was coming off perhaps his worst start of the season. He followed it up with one of his best at a crucial time for the Houston Astros.Fiers pitched six scoreless innings Saturday night as the Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1.Houston pulled into a tie with Seattle and Detroit in the AL wild-card race, three games behind Baltimore and Toronto.In his last start, Fiers (11-7) gave up seven runs on seven hits in 2 1/3 innings in a 9-5 loss to the Cubs. Before Saturdays game, Houston manager A.J. Hinch praised Fiers perseverance, a quality that paid off against Seattle.I do expect him on any given night to come out and give a good performance, Hinch said. This is a good ballpark for him to pitch in. When he throws strikes and mixes his pitches, hes as good as weve got.Fiers gave up singles to the first two batters he faced, but allowed only one more hit. It was the third time Fiers didnt allow a run in 27 starts this season, and the three hits allowed also equaled his season best.Weve got a great starting rotation, Fiers said. Maybe things havent gone the way weve wanted them to be, but were still going out there and trying to do our job and not worry about everybody else. Just go game to game.The Astros needed a strong pitching performance, as Seattle starter James Paxton (4-7) dominated early. Paxton was perfect through five innings before allowing both runs in the sixth.At one point you get a little nervous, when you get to the middle part of the game and we hadnt had a baserunner, Hinch said. We just had to wait him out to get a good pitch.Teoscar Hernandez got the Astros first hit to lead off the sixth, a line drive that had Paxton ducking out of the way. Tyler White followed with a double, putting runners aat second and third.ddddddddddddAfter Jake Marisnick grounded out and Paxton struck out George Springer, Yuli Gurriel drove both runs home with a single to give the Astros a 2-0 lead.Paxton pitched through the seventh, giving up four hits with an intentional walk and seven strikeouts.The Mariners had chances to rally in the late innings but fell short.Chris Devenski relieved Fiers in the seventh inning and gave up singles to Kyle Seager and Leonys Martin, putting runners on first and second with two outs. It was the first time the Mariners had multiple baserunners in the game, but Devenski got out of the jam by striking out Mike Zunino after running the count full.In the eighth, Nori Aoki beat out an infield single for his third hit of the game, and Seth Smith followed with an RBI double off Luke Gregerson to cut the Astros lead to one.Gregerson kept Seattle from adding any more, getting Robinson Cano to strike out on a check swing and Nelson Cruz with a pop out to second to end the inning.Our guys are a little anxious. I think you can see it, Seattle manager Scott Servais said. Theres no doubt that were a better offensive club than weve shown the last few nights.TRAINERS ROOMMariners 1B Adam Lind missed his fifth straight game with a sprained finger on his right hand. Servais said Lind is day to day.UP NEXTAstros: RHP Doug Fister (12-11, 4.17 ERA) will start the series finale. Fister has lost three straight decisions, with his last win coming Aug. 22.Mariners: LHP Ariel Miranda (4-1, 4.10) will make his eighth career start and first against Houston. He has earned the win in each of his last three starts. ' ' '