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| Peterson will not be on the field anytime soon. Photo Credit: USA Today |
By: Michael Hanley
The Minnesota Vikings released this statement on their new choice of action dealing with their RB Adrian Peterson:
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
This is the right decision for all involved in this situation. Adrian Peterson can now fully focus on dealing with and moving forward toward resolving these issues he is dealing with in court, while the team can move along and just worry about football and not about what they might know or think about Peterson's charges of child abuse.
This is a serious issue that needs to have full dedication of time and resources and that now has been made possible by this new course of action by the Vikings organization. This just adds to the pile of bad PR the league has been and continues to deal with when it comes to players of theirs having off the field incidents dealing with domestic abuse from the Ray Rice situation to now child abuse with Adrian Peterson's case. These are stories that will not go away anytime soon and will continue to impact and put a major dent in the NFL's sterling reputation and image.
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