UPDATE (10:37 a.m. ET): Adrian Peterson has confirmed he will re-join the Minnesota Vikings, telling The Associated Press he’ll report to Minnesota’s organized team activities Tuesday.
“I’ve been away from the game for an entire season,” Peterson told the AP in an email. “I wanted the chance to be around the players and coaches, the guys that really matter to me.”
ORIGINAL STORY: The latest round of the ongoing fight between the Minnesota Vikings and Adrian Peterson is going to the team.
ESPN.com reported Tuesday morning that Peterson is in Minnesota and will attend the team’s OTA workouts. Peterson originally planned on skipping the workouts as he and the team continue to squabble over the running back’s future.
Yet Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer drew a line in the sand last week, saying Peterson either would play for the Vikings this season or he wouldn’t play at all, and the running back has appeared to relent. Peterson reportedly considered retirement, but that would require walking away from the three years and $45 million left on his contract, so that probably wasn’t likely regardless.
Now, not only is Peterson joining OTAs, he’s also saying the right things — at least for the time being.
“I decided to come back just to get around my teammates and the coaching staff,” Peterson told ESPN’s Josina Anderson. “There’s never been any love lost with those guys. Basically it’s time for me to come in and test the waters and re-familiarize myself with our offense and the direction they’re trying to go in.”
Peterson appeared in just one game last season before he was indicted on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. He was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list and eventually was suspended for the rest of the season.
Thumbnail photo via Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports Images
