Many fans are itching to see Adrian Peterson back on the field now that his legal issues have been cleared up, but the NFL may have different ideas.
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Per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, the NFL rejected an attempt by Peterson’s camp to have the running back reinstated immediately upon the wrap up of his court case in Houston.
Just who is in Peterson’s camp? His lawyer Rusty Hardin, his agent Ben Dogra and, most importantly, the NFL Players Association.
The Vikings themselves stayed mum in this matter, and have said in a statement that they will continue staying mum until the appropriate time (in other words, when the league tells them it’s okay to talk).
With the Vikings on the sidelines, Peterson’s other team kept the NFL informed about the progress of his plea deal and lobbied the league office to have Peterson immediately reinstated after the resolution of his case.
The league however rejected this notion, choosing instead to make Peterson twist in the wind for a little while as they work out the best way to handle this.
Public relations considerations are no doubt foremost in the minds of Roger Goodell and his people as they work out the appropriate action to take regarding Peterson.
The Vikings may have made a clear statement that they wished to have Peterson back and would restore him to the active roster as soon as his legal issues were behind him, but the NFL made no such promises.
The NFL isn’t concerned about Adrian Peterson getting back on the field and they certainly don’t care about how this all affects the Vikings. Their chief concern is avoiding yet another PR catastrophe.
The league is adopting a tough stance on domestic violence in the wake of the Ray Rice debacle, and though Peterson’s case is nowhere near as murky as the Rice matter, the fact still remains that he was accused of abusing a child and a lot of people are going to be angry if he plays again this year.
The NFL is going to consider every option before making a decision on Peterson and his fate. And until that decision is made, all Peterson, the Vikings and the fans can do is wait.