Earlier this season, Peterson was indicted in September on a felony charge of injury to a child. This charge was for using a wooden switch to discipline his 4-year-old son. Minnesota Vikings All-Pro running back says he never meant to harm his son and was disciplining him in the same way he had been as a child growing up in East Texas. His son suffered some serve bruising, and cuts on his back, thighs and lower regions of his body.
Peterson's Attorney, Rusty Hardin, issued a couple of statements to the media saying, "He loves his son. He wants to reestablish a relationship with him," Hardin said. "He obviously hates what has happened to him and his reputation and the public perception. Also saying that, AP would like to rehabilitate his image within the public, and people's perception, because he and everybody close to him knows that it's a wrong perception. He's a caring and loving father. He loves kids, and he hates that this happened."
What many people are wondering is if Adrian Peterson will be reinstated or face further sanctions by the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell must make the decision to allow Peterson back into the league or cut his career short. Once reinstated, the Minnesota Vikings could either reactive AP or release him. Peterson must also talk with the players union and regain their permission as well. On a good note, a good handful of Vikings Players and other players on the board of the players union were said they "would welcome Adrian with open hands."
I feel the Vikings would be more complete with their All Pro Running back and team captain , regardless if he was playing or suspended for the remainder of the 14-15 season.
Vikings' All Pro Tight End, Kyle Rudolph, addressed the topic this week after practice saying, "We all know the kind of person he is, We've stood behind him this whole time. You'd be crazy not to welcome him back into that locker room. It would be a big pickup for this locker room being we have so many young guys. Any time you can have a veteran back in that locker room, the leader that he is in the locker room, out on the practice field, would be huge for us, Guys have chatted amongst each other, and I don't think there's anyone in that locker room that would need to hear from him. We all know the kind of person Adrian is, and I feel like he's proven that over his time here."
Others to speak and touch on Peterson's return to the Vikings, was Fullback Jerome Felton. Felton stated that, "He's one of the best players in the world, and he's obviously somebody who's meant a lot to this community, meant a lot for the team, He's one of our leaders. He was up here in the off-season. People follow his lead because of how hard he works. So it'd be pretty nice to add that back into the team."
As the regular season games are beginning to become fewer in number, the Vikings who are only a few games behind division leaders the Detroit Lions, Peterson would add a great presence in the backfield to compliment his counterpart Matt Aisata, whom is having the season of his career with over 270 yards on the ground, reaching the end zone 6 times this season.
In all many fans would love to see Adrian Peterson return to the Vikings organization, but many would also appreciate his suspension to be continued through this season as a punishment for his actions and to also be an example for other players in the league to properly discipline their children.
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