Updated at 7:15 a.m. ET:
The Minnesota Vikings announced early Wednesday morning that they had placed running back Adrian Peterson on the exempt/commissioner's permission list.
The change to Peterson's status "will require that Adrian remain away from all team activities while allowing him to take care of his personal situation until the legal proceedings are resolved," according to a statement issued by the team.
Peterson faces a felony charge in Texas over using a wooden switch to punish his 4-year-old son.
Vikings officials initially decided that Peterson could play with the team while the legal process played out.
In the statement, Vikings owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf stressed that the team has "a strong stance regarding the protection and welfare of children, and we want to be sure we get this right. At the same time we want to express our support for Adrian and acknowledge his seven-plus years of outstanding commitment to this organization and his community."
The Associated Press reports that several sponsors are either suspending their deals with the Vikings or severing ties with Peterson.
9(MDE1MTIxMDg0MDE0MDQ3NTY3MzkzMzY1NA001))
Transcript
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
More dramatic news this morning from the National Football League, which continues to be under siege. The league once again seems to be struggling with how to discipline a player who's been accused of physical abuse. Adrian Peterson, a running back for the Minnesota Vikings and one of the most talented players in NFL history, was indicted last Friday on a charge of reckless or negligent injury to a child. This stems from an incident earlier this year, when Peterson use a tree branch to discipline his 4-year-old son. First, his team, the Vikings, deactivated him. After the team lost badly on Sunday, they reinstated him. Overnight, the Vikings announced that Peterson is out once again. And we have NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman on the line to talk more about this. Tom, good morning.
TOM GOLDMAN, BYLINE: Hi, David.
GREENE: So what are the Vikings saying now, as of this overnight announcement?
GOLDMAN: Well, owners Zygi and Wilf - they released a statement. And they said Adrian Peterson is being placed on what is called the Exempt/Commissioner's permission list.
GREENE: Wow. That's a bureaucratic title, there.
GOLDMAN: Yeah. Well, what it basically means is that Peterson has to stay away from all team activities until the legal process is resolved. The Wilfs said the decision was made after conversations with the NFL over the last two days. And it comes after the issue of what to do about A.P. was ping-ponged back and forth by the team, as you mentioned. They deactivated him last Friday after the indictment, meaning he was benched for Sunday's game against New England. Then Monday, the day after Minnesota lost 30-7 and obviously missed Adrian Peterson, they reactivated him. And they insisted it wasn't because of the loss or because he's an All-Pro player. They said it was because of the information they'd gathered about the case. But not a lot of people were buying it. He's one of the best running backs in the NFL. He's been a beloved figure in Minnesota. He's critically important to the business of the Minnesota Vikings.
GREENE: Well, since that decision to reinstate him after the loss - I mean, there was a lot of pressure on the Vikings to reverse course. Does that seem to be sort of what changed things here?
GOLDMAN: Yeah, well, the Wilfs said in their statement, quote, "we appreciate and value the input we have received from our fans, our partners and the community." Now, input is one way to put it, David - a firestorm is another. Adding to the outcry was another similar allegation against Peterson from 2013, involving another one of his children. There was no action taken, but the story was out there. The Twitter-verse and social media were lighting up on this issue. More importantly, sponsors were not happy. Radisson Hotel suspended their sponsorship of the Vikings. And then you had some real heavyweights - Anheuser-Busch, McDonald's - coming out and voicing their displeasure about the Peterson case and the way the NFL has mishandled this and other cases involving domestic abuse over the past week and a half.
GREENE: You said something important there - the NFL mishandling. This is not just a team. I mean, the league is involved in decisions like this. How much were they involved here in the Vikings, you know, changing course?
GOLDMAN: You know, as I said, they were involved. They talked to the Vikings. But this was critically important, that the NFL resolve this. You know, we all know the NFL had been under siege since last Monday, when the video came out of Ray Rice punching his then-fiancee. And the Peterson case poured fuel on the fire. The league, you have to think, was dreading the optics this Sunday, when Adrian Peterson would be in uniform, playing for the Vikings in New Orleans. Had he played and the fans reacted negatively, it might have pushed some of the sponsors who were grumbling to take even more dramatic steps - maybe even pulling support.
GREENE: Tom, we should say, after the whole Ray Rice saga and the video you mentioned, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell - there was talk of him losing his job. Is there more on that today?
GOLDMAN: Roger Goodell will probably buy a little good will here, in the sense that he and the league helped the Vikings reached this decision and probably helped a lot - albeit after getting a ton of heat. Goodell wants nothing more than to get through these current crises so he can show off his new, tougher, more comprehensive plan for dealing with domestic violence. But he's got a ways to go.
GREENE: All right, NPR sports correspondent Tom Goldman. Tom, thanks.
GOLDMAN: You're welcome, David. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
300x250 Ad
300x250 Ad