12:28 p.m.: That wraps it up from the Minnesota Vikings’ ownership, management and head coach. The clear message is that the team is willing to take some blame for the situation — Zygi Wilf said right away that the team got it wrong — but they’re also ready to move on to the future. The other theme, of course, is that the Vikings are doing all they can to “get it right.”
Only time will tell if they’re able to do that in the future.
12:27 p.m.: Zimmer admits he’s spoken to Peterson, but he won’t reveal the nature of the conversation.
Zimmer also says he’s spoken to Bill Parcells for a little bit of advice.
12:26 p.m.: Zimmer: “I put in some extra time, but it didn’t take away from any football time … As far as preparation, it didn’t take away any time.”
12:25 p.m.: If you’re wondering what the Vikings are trying to do …
[tweet https://twitter.com/TedAtTheNews/status/512275390409109505 align=’center’]
12:24 p.m.: Zimmer on eliminating distractions: “What I do is I get in the film room, I start working on what I have to do, figure out what I have to do to get this team better … We’ve got a job to do; we get paid to do this.”
12:23 p.m.: Zimmer: “We always come out of the room together, no matter the decision is. We speak our peace and go from there.”
12:22 p.m.: Mike Zimmer opens his news conference by talking about the Vikings’ Week 3 opponent, the New Orleans Saints. That’s likely to change very quickly, as soon as he ends his opening statement.
12:21 p.m.: The ownership/management portion of the news conference is over. Head coach Mike Zimmer is expected to address the media shortly.
12:20 p.m.: M. Wilf: “This is our decision 100 percent. Like I’ve said all along we’re aiming to get it right.”
12:19 p.m.: M. Wilf: “I think I’m not sure who exactly said it but it’s never too late to get it right. The fact that we’re getting it right now is best for all parties concerned including Adrian and the Vikings.”
12:17 p.m.: M. Wilf: “I think our actions are going to go a long way here,” before pointing out the team’s numerous community service actions.
12:15 p.m.: Spielman said that although this is a rare move, it “was the best possible solution” when it came to the team’s options.
12:14 p.m.: Kevin Warren: “I’ve reviewed (the evidence) and I think Adrian will have his opportunity in the legal system to have his day in court … For me personally, we gathered the information and reviewed everything there was to gather.”
12:12 p.m.: [tweet https://twitter.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/512273045508341760 align=’center’]
12:11 p.m.: M. Wilf: “I don’t wanna Monday morning quarterback what it was. … It’s a fluid situation here and an ongoing process.”
12:10 p.m.: Spielman was noncommittal when asked whether Peterson would play again this season.
12:08 p.m.: Rick Spielman danced around both questions he was just asked, the first being about whether this was the organization’s decision or Peterson’s decision. Spielman also avoided a question about Peterson’s future with the Vikings.
12:07 p.m.: M. Wilf: “Again, our focus is to get things right. We support Adrian in the terms of on the personal level in that he has to get his personal life together and get things right. … Our intent was to get this right.”
We take these things very seriously, especially when it comes to children.
12:06 p.m.: M. Wilf: “We have to make sure that our reputation and the team were heading in the right direction. … We made a mistake and we are doing the right thing.”
12:05 p.m.: Mark Wilf says the Vikings “absolutely not” took into account the pulling of sponsors in making this decision.
12:04 p.m.: Z. Wilf: ” We wanted to make sure we got this right.”
Also: “We will support Adrian during this”
12:03 p.m.: Zygi Wilf is at the podium.
“We made a mistake and we needed to get this right.”
12 p.m.: Nike reportedly has suspended its sponsorship of Adrian Peterson, according to ESPN’s Darren Rovell.
[tweet https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/status/512267892419985409 align=’center’]
11:50 a.m.: The news conference is just moments away. Radisson Hotels, who said it was pulling its sponsorship of the Vikings in the midst of this controversy, used to have its logo plastered on the news conference screen. That logo appears to have been replaced by a “Vikings.com” logo, at least for the time being.
The following members of the Vikings are expected to address the media:
Zygi and Mark Wilf (owners)
Rick Spielman (general manager)
Mike Zimmer (head coach)
Kevin Warren (executive vice president of legal affairs)
10:27 a.m.: The NFL Players Association has released the following statement in regards to Adrian Peterson’s leave:
“Adrian Peterson made a decision to take a voluntary leave with pay to take care of his personal and legal issues. The NFLPA and NFL worked with Adrian and the Minnesota Vikings to resolve this unique situation. We support this decision and hope the best for him and his family.”
Interesting to see that the NFLPA is saying that it was Peterson’s “voluntary” decision to take the leave.
10 a.m. ET: The Minnesota Vikings have been real busy lately, and very much under the gun. They’ll face the music on Wednesday in Minnesota.
The Vikings have been all over the news and not for good reasons this week in large part because of how they’ve handled the Adrian Peterson situation. The Vikings running back was suspended indefinitely by the team in the early hours of Wednesday morning amid allegations that Peterson abused his children.
Peterson was indicted last week on a felony charge of injury to a child, and the Vikings deactivated him for last Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. The Vikings announced Monday, however, that they were going to reinstate Peterson and let due process play out.
That decision was met with plenty of criticism, in addition to strong words from sponsors and elected officials. That pressure presumably led the Vikings to put Peterson on the exempt/commissioner’s position list, barring him from team activities for the time being.
Vikings ownership will publicly address the situation Wednesday at a news conference in Minnesota. Hopefully there will be some answers given to the mounting amount of questions.
The news conference is scheduled for noon ET.
Photo via Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports Images
