At first, the Minnesota Vikings did not know what to do with Adrian Peterson. After news surfaced that he had abused his four-year-old son by beating him with a tree branch, the team held their superstar running-back out of their week three matchup against the New England Patriots. In a press conference following this game, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman attempted to reinstate Peterson.

This reinstatement was short-lived. Mere hours after the press conference, Raddison hotels, whose logo was displayed behind Spielman during the conference, cancelled its team endorsement. In response, the team suspended Peterson indefinitely. He still hasn’t been reinstated.

This story points out one fact about the NFL, and the team’s within it: it’s a business, which values its public perception tremendously. It didn’t matter that Peterson’s abuse broke every moral and ethical principle associated with parenting. The Vikings only suspended him after it was clear that to do otherwise would cost the team. Teams care about one thing: their wallets.

NFL teams operate like businesses, so how come players aren’t treated like employees? If Peterson were a doctor, lawyer, or any other professional, he would more than likely have to be convicted of a crime to suffer an indefinite suspension. Yet in the NFL, all it takes is an indictment. In most work places, one doesn’t lose their job unless they are no longer capable of performing to standard. This clearly isn’t the case with Peterson, a six-time Pro-Bowl running back who nearly broke the NFL’s single season rushing record two years ago.

Peterson has not gone before a court of law to advocate in his defense at a trial, yet the NFL presumes that he is guilty. The NFL holds its employees to a higher standard, as they advertise their product to millions of Americans and sign multi-billion dollar TV deals. However, for players, the field serves as merely an office. It is thus morally, ethically, and perhaps even legally unfair for the NFL to treat its players different than any othe company treats typical employees.