The pressure on the Minnesota Vikings continues to mount.
The team made a controversial decision Monday when it announced it was reinstating superstar running back Adrian Peterson. The All-Pro rusher was deactivated for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots after being indicted on a felony charge of injury to a child.
The Vikings’ decision looked even more controversial Monday night when a report surfaced that Peterson had been accused of using excessive punishment on another one of his sons. That news was met with plenty of outrage, and many called on the Vikings to take further action.
Minnesota governor Mark Dayton was one of those urging the team to discipline Peterson.
“It is an awful situation,” Dayton said in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com. “Yes, Mr. Peterson is entitled to due process and should be ‘innocent until proven guilty.’ However, he is a public figure; and his actions, as described, are a public embarrassment to the Vikings organization and the state of Minnesota. Whipping a child to the extent of visible wounds, as has been alleged, should not be tolerated in our state. Therefore, I believe the team should suspend Mr. Peterson, until the accusations of child abuse have been resolved by the criminal justice system.
“However, I will not turn my back on the Vikings and their fans, as some have suggested. The Vikings belong to Minnesota — and in Minnesota. This has been the team’s only home, and our citizens, including myself, have been its most dedicated fans.”
Barring any change of mind among Vikings management, Peterson is scheduled to make his return Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
