Union asks court to hold Roger Goodell in contempt

— -- The players' union has asked a federal court to hold the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell in contempt in the Adrian Peterson case.

The NFL Players Association said Tuesday that Goodell and the league "have deliberately ignored both the court's decision from 11 weeks ago and our repeated requests to comply with that order."

On Feb. 26, the NFL was ordered to change its decision to suspend Peterson indefinitely after he injured his 4-year-old son with a wooden switch last year in an attempt to apply discipline. He missed all but one game while on the commissioner's exempt list.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen and USA Today Sports report that two NFLPA attorneys repeatedly asked the league and arbitrator Harold Henderson to comply with Judge David Doty's Feb. 26 ruling, as recently as last week. The attorneys warned the NFL it would be facing a contempt filing if it didn't comply.

Also, NFLPA sources tell ESPN's Mortensen that while the NFL appealed the ruling to the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, the league failed to ask the court to stay Doty's ruling during the appeal.

The discipline for Dallas Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy is also raised in the filing. Hardy is appealing a 10-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the league after the league concluded in April that there was "credible evidence'' he abused his former girlfriend when he was a member of the Carolina Panthers. The union claims the decision applies a new personal conduct policy that was applied retroactively after the league adopted a new tougher personal conduct policy.

Henderson is scheduled to hear Hardy's appeal as well, though the union has asked Henderson to recuse himself.

"The delay tactics, inconsistencies and arbitrary decision making of the league has continued to hurt the rights of players, the credibility of the league office and the integrity of the collective bargaining agreement," NFLPA president Eric Winston said in a statement. "In the absence of any action by the NFL's governing board of owners, the players have acted to hold the NFL accountable to our players, the CBA and to the law."

Peterson's suspension was lifted last month by Goodell, but the running back has not joined the Vikings. The union believes the NFL has violated the collective bargaining agreement reached in 2011.

"There is no basis for the union's action," the NFL said in a statement.

"The district court's decision on Adrian Peterson is on appeal to the Eighth Circuit. In the meantime, Mr. Peterson was reinstated more than a month ago and he may fully participate in team activities. The remaining disciplinary issue concerns the amount of 2014 pay to be forfeited by Mr. Peterson and that issue is presently before the Court of Appeals."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.