Adrian Peterson Pleads No Contest, Waits to be Reinstated
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson pleaded no contest in court on Monday on child abuse charges. The no contest plea saved Peterson from spending any time behind bars.
If the talented running back is reinstated by the NFL and allowed to return to the Vikings, it sound like his teammates would welcome him back with open arms.
A few of the team’s most prominent players said on Tuesday that they would be excited to have Peterson return to the team, adding that the talented runner would not have to do anything to regain their trust inside the locker room following his September 12 arrest on charges of child abuse that led to an absence of 8 games.
Peterson remained in contact with a number of his teammates and coaches during his time away. He texted a motivational passage for Mike Zimmer the head coach to read to the Vikings prior to their win on September 28 versus Atlanta.
He passed along advice to Jerick McKinnon a rookie rusher who has rushed for 445 yards while Peterson has been out.
Those things did a great deal toward maintaining the status of Peterson as one of the leaders on the team.
Kyle Rudolph a tight end for Minnesota said everyone on the team knows what type of person Adrian is and we has stood behind him the entire time.
Rudolph added that you would have to be crazy not to welcome Adrian back to the team and locker room.
With the number of young players on the squad, added Rudolph, it would be a huge plus to have one of the team’s veteran leader’s return and back inside the locker room.
Peterson on Tuesday pleaded no contest to charges of reckless assault and in the process avoided any jail time.
However, only Roger Goodell the NFL Commissioner can reinstate the Minnesota running back.
A spokesperson for the NFL said the league would be reviewing the documents from court prior to making its decision.
Rick Speilman the general manager for the Vikings would not make a comment on the court process during a Tuesday news conference.
The return of Peterson would certainly help Minnesota. The Vikings have won two straight and are 4-5.
Minnesota plays four it their last 7 games versus teams that currently are below .500. The presence of Peterson would likely invigorate an offense that is ranked No. 29 in the league.
McKinnon has split playing time with Matt Asiata in the Minnesota backfield in the absence of Peterson. On Tuesday, Speilman said he was happy with how the running load has been handled by the two backs.
Jerome Felton a fullback on the team said that Peterson is obviously one of the best players in football and has meant a great deal to the team and community. Felton called Peterson a leader on the team and having him back would be good for the team.
