Adrian Peterson won’t rejoin the Minnesota Vikings until the child abuse charge he faces is resolved, the NFL team’s owners said Wednesday, admitting their first decision to let him play was wrong.
“We made a mistake, and we needed to get this right,” Vikings co-owner Zygi Wilf said at a press conference where he and his brother Mark Wilf discussed the decision taken overnight to place the 2012 NFL Most Valuable Player on the exempt/commissioner’s permission list, and bar him from the team while the legal case in Texas plays out.
Peterson was charged on Friday with reckless or negligent injury to a child after whipping his young son with a switch — a small tree branch cut for the purpose — so hard that the four-year-old still bore the marks days later.
Peterson has acknowledged whipping the boy, but said he didn’t intend to hurt him and is not a child abuser.
The Vikings held Peterson out of Sunday’s game, but reinstated him on Monday, sparking an outcry that included a call from the governor of Minnesota to suspend the player.
Hotel chain Radisson was the first sponsor to react, suspending its sponsorship deal with the Vikings.
Shortly after midnight, the team reversed course, saying Peterson had been placed on the exempt list.
The NFL Players Association characterized Peterson’s situation as “a voluntary leave with pay.”
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said only NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell can place a player on the exempt list, and the team worked with the commissioner’s office and the NFLPA to determine the best mechanism for separating Peterson from the team as the legal process continues.
“We came up with what we thought was the best resolution for everybody,” said Spielman.
Owners Zygi and Mark Wilf repeatedly acknowledged the team erred in reinstating Peterson and wanted to “get this right”.
“We have a strong stance regarding the protection and welfare of children and we want to be sure we get this right,” Zygi Wilf said.
Peterson’s first court hearing is set for October 8. Now that he will not be playing, it’s possible he could seek to expedite the legal process.
– Nike suspends endorsement deal –
On Wednesday, apparel giant Nike suspended their endorsement contract with Peterson. Like billion-dollar NFL sponsor Anheuser-Busch before them, they expressed concern over the league’s handling of off-field violence involving its players.
“Nike in no way condones child abuse or domestic violence of any kind and we have shared our concerns with the NFL,” Nike said in a statement. “We have suspended our contract with Adrian Peterson.”
The league continues to grapple with the fallout from its handling of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was belatedly suspended indefinitely by commissioner Roger Goodell after video surfaced of Rice punching his then-fiancee in an elevator.
The NFL had originally suspended Rice for just two games over the February incident but in the face of public criticism has since scrambled to adopt a tougher stance on domestic violence issues.
The San Francisco 49ers have insisted they will continue to play defensive end Ray McDonald, who is accused of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend.
Last Sunday, the Carolina Panthers did a U-turn and deactivated defensive end Greg Hardy, who was found guilty in July of assaulting his former girlfriend and threatening to kill her.
Hardy, who has appealed a judge’s ‘guilty’ ruling and requested a full jury trial, had played for the team the week before.
US media suggested Wednesday that the Panthers could also use the exempt list to sideline Hardy with pay until his legal status is resolved.
The little used exempt list allows a team to remove a player from it’s roster, while retaining his rights.
It isn’t reserved only for troubled players. In 2013 Tampa Bay placed running back Jeff Demps on the list as he pursued an Olympic athletics berth.