So it appears that Adrian Peterson will not be returning to the Vikings, not any time soon at least.
News broke early Wednesday morning that the Wilf family and Minnesota Vikings would do an about-face on their original decision regarding Peterson’s availability this week and this coming weekend against the Saints. Instead of practicing all week and playing in New Orleans, the Vikings decided to keep Peterson deactivated and away from all team activities until his legal situation pertaining to alleged child abuse is straightened out.
Basically the Vikings will pay AP to go away until further notice. Here’s the full statement from the Vikings:
“This has been an ongoing and deliberate process since last Friday’s news. In conversations with the NFL over the last two days, the Vikings advised the League of the team’s decision to revisit the situation regarding Adrian Peterson. In response, the League informed the team of the option to place Adrian on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission list, which will require that Adrian remain away from all team activities while allowing him to take care of his personal situation until the legal proceedings are resolved. After giving the situation additional thought, we have decided this is the appropriate course of action for the organization and for Adrian.
We are always focused on trying to make the right decision as an organization. We embrace our role – and the responsibilities that go with it – as a leader in the community, as a business partner and as an organization that can build bridges with our fans and positively impact this great region. We appreciate and value the input we have received from our fans, our partners and the community.
While we were trying to make a balanced decision yesterday, after further reflection we have concluded that this resolution is best for the Vikings and for Adrian. We want to be clear: we have a strong stance regarding the protection and welfare of children, and we want to be sure we get this right. At the same time we want to express our support for Adrian and acknowledge his seven-plus years of outstanding commitment to this organization and this community. Adrian emphasized his desire to avoid further distraction to his teammates and coaches while focusing on his current situation; this resolution accomplishes these objectives as well.
We will support Adrian during this legal and personal process, but we firmly believe and realize this is the right decision. We hope that all of our fans can respect the process that we have gone through to reach this final decision. -Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf”
Of course too that ‘right decision’ weighs heavily on the monetary aspect of this whole mess. After the original decision of re-activating Peterson for the week was made by GM Rick Spielman, Radisson pulled their sponsorship when their logo was displayed pretty prominently in the background during the press conference.
Then there’s also ESPN — specifically Adam Schefter — who continue to blast the Vikings and the NFL for their handling of recent events.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K65wRxJswTY
Now I’m not going to fully praise the Vikings with the move nor am I going to blast them for denying Adrian Peterson due process with his banishment from the team (for the time being). The Vikings like the NFL and any other team dealing with a domestic abuser has been more reactive during this whole mess than proactive. I’m sorry but if TMZ never released that second video of Ray Rice knocking out his future wife Ray Rice would probably be playing for Ravens this weekend. The same could probably be said about Adrian Peterson as well. And as far as Peterson being denied due process, he’s really not. Lets remember the NFL is considered a non-profit (as ridiculous as that may sound) while almost all of the teams are privately owned meaning they can pretty much hand down any punishment they want as long as it doesn’t circumvent the current CBA. Peterson is still being granted his due process in the Texas state justice system and not to mention still being paid by the Vikings.
