Eden Prairie, MN (KWSN) – Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will fully participate in this week’s practices and meetings and is expected to play this Sunday in New Orleans.
The following statement is from Vikings Owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf:
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 continue to monitor the situation closely and support Adrian’s fulfillment of his legal responsibilities throughout this process.
UPDATED: Monday. 10PM – Multiple media outlets have reported that another incident of child abuse may have happened in 2013; however no charges were filed in this case. The Vikings issued the following statement regarding this report late Monday night:
“As part of the information we have gathered throughout this process, we were made aware of an allegation from 2013 in which authorities took no action against Adrian. We will defer any further questions to Adrian’s attorney Rusty Hardin.”
The following statement was issued by Hardin:
"An adult witness admittedly insists Adrian did nothing inappropriate with his son”
The league has not responded to the new allegations, and is continuing to investigate the case under the personal conduct policy.
Courtesy: Minnesota Vikings