Vikings owner: We made a mistake reinstating Adrian Peterson
Minnesota Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf said Wednesday in a press conference that the Vikings made a mistake in initially reinstating running back Adrian Peterson.
"We made a mistake and we needed to get this right," Zygi Wilf said.
Earlier in the day, the Vikings put Peterson on the Commissioner's Exempt list. Wilf also said it was the Vikings who initiated the process to put Peterson on the exempt list, and that both parties agreed that it was best for Peterson to step away from the team.
The Vikings also reiterated that Peterson would be away from the team until the legal process plays out. The trial will likely not take place until 2015.
On Friday, Adrian Peterson was indicted on a felony charge of injury to a child for hitting his four-year old son with a tree branch as a method of discipline. Early Saturday morning, Peterson turned himself in. He was released after paying a $15,000 bail.
Peterson was deactivated by the Vikings before Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots. On Monday, the Vikings released a statement saying Peterson would practice this week and was expected to play Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said Monday the organization felt Peterson was "disciplining a child" during the incident.
Later in the day, Peterson released a statement, saying "I am, without a doubt, not a child abuser."
By Monday night, Radisson, a Minnesota-based hotel chain, had suspended its sponsorship of the Vikings, and Wheaties pulled all Peterson-related content off its website.
On Tuesday, Peterson's charitable foundation announced it was on hiatus and Castrol motor oil ended its sponsorship of Peterson.
Also on Tuesday, NFL sponsor Anheuser-Busch -- which has a six-year, $1.2 billion contract with the NFL -- said it was "disappointed and increasingly concerned by the recent incidents that have overshadowed this NFL season."
On Wednesday, Nike suspended its endorsement sponsorship of Peterson.
- Sarah Barshop
