Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson arrived at a Conroe, Tex., courthouse for his arraignment Wednesday morning prepared to plead not guilty to a felony child abuse charge. But the hearing never got that far, and Peterson’s chances for a speedy trial and a swift return to the N.F.L. appear murky.

Although Judge Kelly Case of the state’s Ninth District Court, in Montgomery County, set a tentative trial date of Dec. 1, District Attorney Brett Ligon of Montgomery County filed a motion asking Case to recuse himself. Ligon accused Case of personal bias toward him and questioned his impartiality.

The motion, obtained by The New York Times, claims Case colluded with Peterson’s lawyers to speed up Peterson’s trial date without consulting with his office. Ligon also objected to an alleged remark by Case at the courthouse last week that suggested that Ligon and Rusty Hardin, Peterson’s lawyer, were seeking news media attention. A hearing on the recusal motion was scheduled for Nov. 4.

The trial could be delayed if it is transferred to another judge. Even if it remains on Case’s docket, the timing makes Peterson’s return to the N.F.L. this season unlikely, and Peterson may still face a suspension of up to six weeks under the terms of the N.F.L.’s new domestic violence policy. The Vikings end the regular season on Dec. 28.

A six-time Pro Bowl selection named the league’s most valuable player for the 2012 season, Peterson is accused of injuring his 4-year-old son while disciplining him with a switch — a tree branch with the leaves removed — in May in Spring, Tex. Peterson was charged with one count of reckless or negligent injury to a child. He remains free on $15,000 bond.

If convicted, Peterson, 29, could face up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine, although first-time offenders rarely get jail time. Case ruled Wednesday that Peterson could not have contact with the boy until the legal process concluded.

BILLS SALE APPROVED The sale of the Buffalo Bills to Terry and Kim Pegula was unanimously approved by the N.F.L. owners at a meeting in New York.

Once money is exchanged this week to formally close the sale, the Pegulas will take over the team from the estate of Ralph Wilson, who founded the team.

The Pegulas, who also own the Buffalo Sabres, paid $1.4 billion for the Bills, a record amount for an N.F.L. franchise.

Asked at a news conference whether he thought he paid a fair price, Terry Pegula said: “I got a hell of a deal. I own the team.”

Russ Brandon, the chief executive of the Bills, said the owners did not discuss issues related to the team’s four-decade-old stadium, but he said the Pegulas would take a “holistic view” as they decide whether to renovate the team’s current home or build a new one “down the road.”

The more important point, he said, is that the Pegulas are committed to keeping the team in western New York. “The Buffalo Bills are in their rightful place in Buffalo,” he said.

Wilson paid $25,000 for the Bills franchise, which was formed in 1959 as a charter member of the American Football League. KEN BELSON

GIANTS APOLOGIZE FOR A JAB At an autograph signing Tuesday night, Giants cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara posed for a photograph with a fan who was wearing an Eagles jersey that read, “Superbowls,” where the name is usually embossed and had a zero for a jersey number.

The jersey was poking fun at the Eagles’ never having won a Super Bowl. Rodgers-Cromartie and Amukamara also held up their fingers and thumbs to form a zero. The Giants and the Eagles play Sunday night in Philadelphia.

When the photograph made the rounds on Twitter, it was, not surprisingly, noticed in Philadelphia and was a topic of conversation in the Eagles’ locker room.

After Wednesday’s practice, Rodgers-Cromartie and Amukamara said they were responding to a fan’s request and did not mean to taunt the Eagles.

“I ain’t got no Super Bowls, either,” Rodgers-Cromartie, a former Eagle, said. “I can understand why they would take it as disrespectful, but it definitely wasn’t meant to be that way.”

BILL PENNINGTON

BACK IN POWDER BLUE Running back Ronnie Brown is back with the San Diego Chargers, his unemployment in the N.F.L. having lasted one week. Brown was released last week by Houston. He played for San Diego in 2012 and 2013. (AP)

RAIDER OUT FOR THE YEAR The Oakland Raiders placed their starting middle linebacker, Nick Roach, who has not recovered from a concussion sustained in the preseason, on season-ending injured reserve. (AP)

STAR RECEIVER HURT Cincinnati receiver A. J. Green left practice during warm-ups, after aggravating his big toe injury. (AP)