Early Wednesday morning, the Minnesota Vikings released a statement indicating that running back Adrian Peterson has been placed on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission List, essentially barring him from all team activities until the legal proceedings stemming from multiple child abuse allegations levied against him have been resolved. The decision was reached in consultation between the franchise and the NFL over the past few days about the right course of action given the massive public relations implications created from this situation.
“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,” the Vikings stated.
This development comes after Peterson was reportedly involved in multiple incidents related to abuse of two of his children. He had already been indicted in Montgomery County, TX for felony “negligent injury of a child” last Friday. Now comes reports early this week that a second child of his had been injured in possibly the same manner as the first, using a “switch” implement made from a tree branch.
Fans and league sponsors are growing increasingly uneasy over the metastasizing firestorm related to star players in the NFL being directly tied to heinous acts of violence against women and children. Radisson Hotels, whose logo regularly appears as a backdrop during interviews with Vikings coaches and players, pulled its sponsorship of the team Tuesday. Other big-money sponsors, such as Anheuser-Busch and PepsiCo, are actively monitoring the situation and have openly expressed their displeasure of the current state of affairs to league commissioner Roger Goodell.
Peterson’s endorsement deals with a number of companies, including Mylan, Inc., Castrol Motor Oil and Special Olympics Minnesota, have been terminated in recent days. Nike began pulling his jersey from their stores in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area and it’s probably only a matter of time before the same thing happens online. His All Day Foundation which was founded to help children has been put on hiatus and its website shut down.
On Monday, it was announced by the team that after sitting out Sunday’s 30-7 loss to the New England Patriots as a result of the Friday indictment, Peterson would be available this coming Sunday as the Vikings travel to New Orleans. However, after taking into account recent developments and the overall negative climate that has befallen the NFL from an off-the-field standpoint, it became readily apparent that a change of course was necessary.
“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,” the Vikings concluded.
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