Adrian Peterson will be reinstated by the National Football League, effective on Friday. However, it’s still not known of the league's best running back will return to the Minnesota Vikings.
The NFL announced today that Peterson will be considered an active player on Friday and would be allowed to take part in any team events. He will not face further suspension, but U.S. District Court Judge David S. Doty still has to decide how many game checks Peterson will lose.
“The Minnesota Vikings have been informed by the NFL that Adrian Peterson has been reinstated,” the Vikings said in a statement. “We look forward to Adrian re-joining the Vikings.”
But Peterson and his agent have made it quite clear that he does not want to return to Minnesota. In February, there were reports that Peterson asked to be traded to the Dallas Cowboys and his agent said in March that he wants to leave the Vikings. If Peterson and the Vikings can’t figure out a trade before the draft on April 30, he will likely have to start the 2015 season with the Vikings.
Peterson was arrested in Texas in September after a grand jury indicted him on child abuse charges. He did strike a plea deal with prosecutors, agreeing to pay a fine and do 80 hours of community service. Still, the NFL did not reinstate him until today. He was suspended after playing in the first game of the 2014 season.
As the New York Times notes, Peterson is set to earn $12.75 million for 2015.
image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com