The Minnesota Vikings released a statement Monday concerning the status of running back Adrian Peterson, who remains on the commissioner's exempt list even after his legal situation came to a close last week. In the statement, the Vikings said they "respect and understand the league’s process" as the NFL decides whether to reinstate the former MVP.
Adrian Peterson’s return out of Vikings’ control
The Vikings don’t have a timetable for the running back’s return.
Bob Levey
Shortly after the organization issued the statement, head coach Mike Zimmer spoke at his weekly press conference and reiterated that the team's focus was on its Week 11 game against the Chicago Bears, and not on when a decision would be made on Peterson's reinstatement. Zimmer confirmed that there was no timetable for the running back's return, saying it wasn't in the team's control.
Still, Zimmer expressed his support for Peterson:
“I’m not going to deal with the hypotheticals of what the NFL says or the league says regarding the regulations. When those decisions are made, we can make decisions. Until then, really our hands are tied. There’s really nothing we can do about it other than what I’ve said all along. We love the kid, he’s done everything I’ve asked him to do, and we support him and we want him to get through this for him -- and then we’ll worry about all the other things we have to deal with at that point in time.”
Peterson has missed the majority of the 2014 regular season while dealing with charges of child abuse in his native Texas. The Vikings and the league ultimately made the decision to place him on the commissioner's exempt list, allowing the team to put the situation on ice while the Texas courts handled the details. Peterson pleaded down to misdemeanor charges Thursday, opening the door for a 2014 return.
However, in order for the running back to take the field, he must first be reinstated. The NFLPA is pressuring the league to address the situation as soon as possible, but according to The Washington Post's Mark Maske, the NFL had no plans to reinstate Peterson Monday as it is "mindful of what he admitted doing" during the investigation.
That doesn’t mean a return isn’t in the offing, but it likely won’t be immediate. As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport noted, the league will probably consider the time already missed and loss of pay, thus resulting in a December return. Pro Football Talk, though, reported that Peterson might play sooner if the NFLPA promptly files a non-injury grievance and forces a hearing before Minnesota’s next game.
Update 6:07 ET: The NFLPA announces it has filed an expedited, non-injury grievance to remove Peterson from the commissioner’s exempt list.
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