TUESDAY, 4:55pm: Don’t be surprised if the Vikings reverse course on whether to reinstate Peterson, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who hears that Monday’s decision could change (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 6:46pm: According to the KHOU report (via Deadspin), these newest accusations could be used against Peterson in court. More immediately, if the accusations are true, they make the Vikings’ decision to reinstate the running back even more questionable.
6:34pm: Peterson has been accused of abusing another one of his sons, according to CBS affiliate KHOU (on Twitter).
1:35pm: Peterson has issued a statement, in which he expresses remorse for hurting his son, and says he is “without a doubt, not a child abuser.”
“I have to live with the fact that when I disciplined my son the way I was disciplined as a child, I caused an injury that I never intended or thought would happen,” Peterson said within the statement. “I know that many people disagree with the way I disciplined my child. I also understand after meeting with a psychologist that there are other alternative ways of disciplining a child that may be more appropriate.”
ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter has the running back’s comments in full, via Facebook.
10:57am: After being deactivated for the Vikings’ Week 2 loss against the Patriots, Adrian Peterson will return to practice this week and is expected to suit up and play for Minnesota this Sunday, the team announced today. Here’s the complete statement, via the club’s website, from 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.”
Peterson was indicted by a grand jury last week and, facing one charged count of injury to a child, turned himself in over the weekend. No court date has been set yet, but assuming the case goes to trial, that may not happen for weeks or even months, meaning the Vikings and the NFL may postpone any further discipline for the running back until 2015, after the case is resolved.
Earlier today, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap explained why a trade of Peterson was much more viable than releasing him, if Minnesota wanted to move on from the longtime Viking, while Joel Corry of CBSSports.com pointed out (via Twitter) that the veteran’s rising salaries may make him a cap casualty within the next couple years anyway. For now though, it appears the club intends to move forward this season with Peterson very much in the mix.