Minnesota needs Adrian Peterson on the field
After reports came out about Adrian Peterson’s indictment in a child injury case last week, the Minnesota Vikings took the safe route and deactivated their star running back to assess the situation and investigate the matter. The organization felt the need to deactivate him from playing this past Sunday against the Patriots on a week where the NFL suffered a new low.
The Vikings have now weighed options after careful evaluation and decided the best move for the team and will allow AP to play in Week 3 until the justice system follows with due process in a court of law. Just this week, GM Rick Spielman said all options are on the table for Peterson and rumors swirled about him being traded.
“Today’s decision was made after significant thought, discussion and consideration. As evidenced by our decision to deactivate Adrian from yesterday’s game, this is clearly a very important issue. On Friday, we felt it was in the best interests of the organization to step back, evaluate the situation, and not rush to judgment given the seriousness of this matter. At that time, we made the decision that we felt was best for the Vikings and all parties involved.
To be clear, we take very seriously any matter that involves the welfare of a child. At this time, however, we believe this is a matter of due process and we should allow the legal system to proceed so we can come to the most effective conclusions and then determine the appropriate course of action. This is a difficult path to navigate, and our focus is on doing the right thing. Currently we believe we are at a juncture where the most appropriate next step is to allow the judicial process to move forward.
We will monitor the situation closely and support Adrian’s fulfillment of legal responsibilities throughout this process.
Getting blown out by the Pats at home probably influenced the decision, right?
UPDATE: Adrian Peterson releases a statement on the situation via Adam Shefter:
“I am not a perfect son. I am not a perfect husband. I am not a perfect parent, but I am, without a doubt, not a child abuser. I am someone that disciplined his child and did not intend to cause him any injury. No one can understand the hurt that I feel for my son and for the harm I caused him. My goal is always to teach my son right from wrong and that’s what I tried to do that day.”
Read the entire statement over on Facebook.
UPDATE: More accusations have come to light concerning AP and another one of his son’s, with KHOU-TV reporting about another incident, involving his 4-year old son and injuries to his head from car seat, after disciplining him in the car. Text messages were sent between Peterson and the mother explaining what happened.
If convicted by a jury, Peterson can face up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He is scheduled to go to court on October 8 in Conroe, Texas for his indictment in the reckless or negligent injury to a child case.
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