Wednesday 17 September 2014 13:33, UK
The Minnesota Vikings have reversed their decision to reinstate Adrian Peterson, saying he will not be involved in team activities until his child abuse case is resolved.
The Vikings have placed their star running back on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission list, which means he will remain a member of the Vikings and receive his salary, but will not play for the team for the foreseeable future.
Peterson, a former winner of the NFL MVP award, has been charged with reckless or negligent injury to a child over an alleged whipping incident involving his four-year-old son.
In response Minnesota held him out of their clash with the New England Patriots last Sunday before re-activating him at the start of this week.
The team received a lot of criticism for the move, with Minnesota governor Mark Dayton publicly speaking out against it, and they have now reconsidered and ultimately gone back on the decision.
"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,” read a statement from Vikings owner Zygi Wilf and president Mark Wilf.
“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 organisation and for Adrian.”
The statement added: “While we were trying to make a balanced decision yesterday [when reinstating Peterson], 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.”
