From the “While You Were Sleeping” department, we have the Minnesota Vikings furiously backpedaling on their decision to activate Adrian Peterson and play him this coming Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Somewhere around 2 am Wednesday morning, the Vikings announced that Peterson would be placed on the an exempt/commissioner’s permission list, a rare designation reserved for specific circumstances involving NFL players.
Here’s a chunk of the statement issued by the Vikings:
We are always focused on trying to make the right decision as an organization. We embrace our role – and the responsibilities that go with it – as a leader in the community, as a business partner and as an organization that can build bridges with our fans and positively impact this great region. We appreciate and value the input we have received from our fans, our partners and the community.
While we were trying to make a balanced decision yesterday, after further reflection we have concluded that this resolution is best for the Vikings and for Adrian. We want to be clear: we have 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 this community. Adrian emphasized his desire to avoid further distraction to his teammates and coaches while focusing on his current situation; this resolution accomplishes these objectives as well.
We will support Adrian during this legal and personal process, but we firmly believe and realize this is the right decision. We hope that all of our fans can respect the process that we have gone through to reach this final decision. – Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf
Peterson also posted a lengthy message on Twitter:
— Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) September 17, 2014
