Adrian Peterson could be very close to resolving his legal situation, leaving the Minnesota Vikings – and the NFL suits – with some very big decisions to make.
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Adam Schefter reports that Peterson and his legal team are working on a plea deal with prosecutors and that the deal could be finalized as early as Tuesday.
Peterson’s attorney Rusty Hardin has said that his client would not seek a plea deal, but with time running out for Peterson to resolve his child abuse case and get back on the field in 2014, a plea deal was likely the only option.
Hardin had been pushing for a trial to begin in November but the judge in the case had set December 1 as the tentative start date.
A plea deal will take away Peterson’s chance to clear his name in court, but it will make it possible for him to return to the Vikings this year.
The question is, would the Vikings immediately reinstate Peterson as they have promised to do once his legal issues are cleared up?
The bigger question might be, what will the NFL do from a disciplinary standpoint once Peterson is out of the woods legally?
The NFL has the option to suspend Peterson. Even if the Vikings want to reinstate him for the remainder of the year, the league could still sit him down for some or all of the seven games that would be left on the schedule after Tuesday.
It’s hard to say right now what the league will do with Peterson in the wake of so many high-profile, image-harming cases in recent months.
It’s believed that taking a plea deal would mean an automatic suspension for Peterson but the length of that suspension is not known.
Whatever the league’s decision is with Peterson, one would hope that the situation is not dragged out too long.
When/if Peterson does return to the Vikings, it will be interesting to see how fans receive him. Some will embrace him as a returning hero but others will no doubt be bothered by his reinstatement in light of the heinousness of his alleged crimes.
Legal resolution is only the beginning for Peterson. After that comes the battle to return to the field, get his game back to where it was and begin restoring his battered image.