Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson Returns To Practice

Superstar Adrian Peterson decided to return to Minnesota Vikings practice today.

Adrian Peterson Returns To Practice

After a Shakespearean-like saga, Adrian Peterson has agreed to show up to Tuesday’s OTA session, according to ESPN.

“I’m returning because I want to. I’m a part of this football team and I owe it to the guys I play with and to our coaches,” Peterson said in an email to ESPN. “I was planning on coming in this week, and I’m looking forward to getting back on the field. It’s what I love to do.”

Again, the Peterson saga began when he was indicted on child abuse charges way back in September 2014. Since then, he was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, before officially being suspended indefinitely. Roger Goodell’s ruling was eventually overturned by a judge, but the commissioner did not reinstate the superstar until April 17.

However, during his time away from football, the Vikings halfback displayed displeasure with the way Minnesota treated him during the incident. This resulted in several quotes, displaying a level of discomfort with returning to the organization. Even his agent, Ben Dogra, felt that Minnesota was a bad fit for his client, but to be fair he also got into a verbal altercation with Vikings vice president Rob Brzezinski.

Still, the Vikings would not budge, as Coach Mike Zimmer, who previously met with Peterson to try and better the relationship, basically gave the superstar an ultimatum: play for us or play for no one. This resulted in last week’s Twitter tirade where Peterson complained about player rights, which was neither the time or place to do so.

“I’ve been watching this game from the sidelines for far too long,” Peterson continued. “My teammates and coaches are important to me. Those relationships matter, and I owe it to those guys. I knew I wanted to come in this week. I had a family obligation last week but I’m ready to put on a Vikings uniform again and get back to work.”

As for injecting him into a thriving Minnesota offense, this certainly ups the Vikings’ chances to be in the postseason. “I know what kind of offense Norv Turner runs, and this year there was a lot of production out of the shotgun formation with the passing game and the running game,” Peterson said. “I feel like I bring a different dynamic to the back end and with that it will allow for different formations to be presented that will allow the quarterback to be comfortable.”

As for his OTA bonus, he should not lose out on the $250,000: in past seasons, he missed a few OTA practices, but was never penalized by the organization, according to ESPN.

Throughout the last few weeks, there was a lot of speculation on why Peterson would not return: some claimed that he wanted a trade, while others said he wanted more money. Either way, the Vikings would not budge, which could be why he eventually decided to return.