How this appeal plays out will have a big impact on the upcoming revamped NFL Personal Conduct Policy. In fact, the appeal has already impacted how the NFL handles disciplining players for off-field misconduct. Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy were placed on the Commissioner’s Exemption List and likely told that such action does not constitute final discipline. Had the NFL done otherwise, it would be prevented from imposing further discipline in the form of fines or suspensions once the criminal cases are finalized.

What is the Commissioner's Exemption List? Why have you never heard of it before? Why is it being used to distance the NFL from player's accused of domestic violence?

Much has been written about the indefinite suspension of Ray Rice, including calls for Roger Goodell to resign or be fired. But few if any articles have taken the time to explain what exactly happened and what could happen from a legal standpoint. The vast majority of the conversation about the suspension has focused on righteous finger-wagging at the NFL, Roger Goodell, and the Ravens. While each of those parties deserves their fair share of scorn, there is an opportunity to learn, grow and move forward that is being missed.

It has been a busy couple of weeks in the world of sports law. The Sports Esquires rounds up the top stories in sports law as part of our effort to keep you informed about all that is happening behind the scenes of your favorite leagues and teams.

For the second time in 15 years, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has cancelled the federal registrations for six trademarks of the Washington Redskins on grounds that the team name is disparaging to Native Americans. The amount of incorrect information circulating about this decision is astounding. Particularly during the hours immediately following the decision, multiple major news sources were issuing incorrect or misleading reports about the impact of the USPTO’s decision. This article will attempt to set the record straight by laying out the complete history of the case and it’s reasonably certain future. No opinion on whether the name should be changed will be given.

Dan Snyder and the Redskins managed to stay out of the headlines for a few days, as they were without a first round pick for the 25th time in 79 drafts. Perhaps this motivated the team to send LaVar Arrington a cease-and-desist letter about a flier for his football tackling camps that refers to him as a “Redskins Great” and includes a photo of him in a Redskins uniform.

The biggest news yesterday in the sports law world was of course that Northwestern’s Kain Colter is seeking to unionize his fellow members of the Wildcat football team. While this is certainly a big deal, it is a long way from coming to fruition and is fraught with obstacles that must be overcome. Moreover, unionizing college athletes will also open a pandora’s box of secondary issues that will have to be addressed. Tax-exemptions, Title-IX, the O’Bannon antitrust suit, and a slew of other issues will have to be addressed if the landscape of collegiate-athletics is overhauled by unionizing the players.

The Super Bowl is on Sunday. It always has been, and it always will? Every year there is a new push to make the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday. But so far, no such luck. I want to offer up a second possibility. Host the Super Bowl on Saturday. Think about it. No work the next day means no worrying about “over-consumption” (at least not from a hangover standpoint, you should never drink and drive), and no worrying about getting to bed on time.

Welcome to The Sports Esquires! A new blog offering a different take on all the sports that you love. We will be exploring all the activity that happens off the field; from TV deals to lawsuits, and everything in-between; our writers will explain, analyze, dissect, and inform you about everything going …

Putting sports on trial, starting in January 2014.