Adrian Peterson News: NFL Reinstates Vikings Running Back; What's Next For Peterson?
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will be reinstated on Friday, the NFL announced Thursday. He is now allowed to rejoin the Vikings for all team activities and offseason workouts.
The 2012 MVP has spent the better part of a year on the commissioner’s exempt list after he was accused of child abuse in Texas early last season. Peterson would later plead no contest to misdemeanor reckless injury charges.
After challenging the NFL in federal court, a judge ruled Peterson should be reinstated as soon as possible. Peterson was first eligible for reinstatement Wednesday.
According to ESPN, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell penned a letter to Peterson and stated that he is still required to cooperate with authorities in Minnesota and Texas and that he could face a lengthy suspension or ban from the league if he violates its personal conduct policy.
Peterson met with Goodell on April 7 to discuss reinstatement. The 29-year-old missed all but one game of the Vikings 2014 campaign after he was accused of striking his young son with a switch, causing cuts along the child’s legs.
Whether Peterson decides to return to the Vikings is another matter. Peterson and his agent Ben Dogra have said publicly that they were unsure about his future in Minnesota, and Peterson also previously stressed he didn’t appreciate how the Vikings had treated him during his case. There has been speculation that the Dallas Cowboys have interest in acquiring Peterson, but the Vikings have said they have no intentions of releasing or trading him.
Considered among the best running backs in the NFL, Peterson is scheduled to make $12.75 million next season. He is a six-time Pro Bowler, and three-time All-Pro since entering the NFL in 2007. In 2012, Peterson was the winner of the Associated Press' NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award.
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