The Minnesota Vikings had announced two days ago that Adrian Peterson might return to practice after he had been indicted last week on child abuse charges. However, only two days after their announcement, the Vikings reversed their decision and moved Peterson to the exempt/commissioner’s permission list.
Following such a move, Peterson will be no longer be able to take part in any type of team activities for the foreseeable future. Although his team had initially allowed him to continue training with his colleagues until his legal process is concluded, on Sunday, Peterson was kept out of the game against the New England Patriots.
Both Zygi and Mark Wilf explained that their initial decision (which was met with deep criticism) had to be reevaluated and as such, Peterson could no longer play until his situation was sorted out.
“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,” Vikings owners declared.
They added that the entire team staff has a strong stance when it comes to the protection and welfare of children and that they aren’t fit to make a decision when a judge hasn’t analyzed the entire situation yet. At the same time, they also expressed their support for Adrian and underlined his outstanding commitment to his community and team for over seven years.
“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.” they said in closing.
Addressing the situation, Beg Dogra, Peterson’s agent, stated that such a deactivation represents the best possible result in such a difficult set of circumstances.
