Adrian Peterson was reinstated by the Minnesota Vikings on Monday allowing him to return to practice as well as play in the team’s upcoming game with the New Orleans Saints on Monday. It is evident to most fans of the sport of football that the Vikings decision to allow Petersen to return to the team was performance based. Minnesota was blown out at home 30-7 to the New England Patriots last Sunday and it is clear that the team needs their star running back on the field to remain competitive.
Vikings General Manager, Rick Spielman, announced his decision to the media before getting bombarded with questions on why the six-time Pro Bowl selection and former MVP was allowed to return to the team:
“This is a difficult path to navigate regarding the judgment of how a parent disciplines his child,” Spielman said. “We believe he deserves to play while the legal process plays out.”
Peterson himself released a statement on Twitter saying he is not “a child abuser”, but the ramifications of Peterson’s arrest on reported child abuse charges as well as new allegations stemming from a June 2013 incident in which Peterson caused a large cut over the right eye of another one of his sons portrays the opposite claim.
Sponsors and former supporters of the Minnesota Vikings agree and have made their opinion public after the team announced Peterson’s return. The Radisson Hotels chain which is based out of Minnesota announced late Monday night that they were suspending their sponsorship with the team and that they don’t condone child abuse of any kind. The ramifications of the Vikings decision to reinstate Peterson also spread to their fans as www.VikingsMessageBoard.com, a popular fan based website was shut down on Monday for what the creators of the site said was a “cowardly decision,” on the part of the team when they reinstated Peterson. If you try and go to the site, you will see it has officially shut down, but earlier in the day, a note was left on the home page:
“We will not give a voice to those who think child abuse is ‘cultural’ or worse, openly advocate child abuse a reasonable method of punishment.”
The controversial topic has taken over both television and radio over the weekend as photos were released by Houston police, showing the wounds that Peterson did to his son. With recent turmoil surrounding the Ray Rice situation and NFL teams deciding whether or not they should continue to allow their players to play despite criminal charges brought upon them (and in some instances convictions), the debate has moved to the forefront of what should be commonplace in situations like these.
To the laymen, more than likely your employer would not allow you to return back to work following your arrest or awaiting a trial on serious charges such as this. Often times, employers will suspend their employees with or without pay, while the legal process plays out.
Over a decade ago, Los Angeles Lakers guard, Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault and continued to play for the team throughout his trial. Ultimately, the charges against Bryant were dismissed by a Colorado judge and the decision by the Lakers to allow him to play seemed just. Will the same outcome occur for Peterson?
Weigh in on the debate by voting in our nationwide poll to determine how the public feels on the Minnesota Vikings decision to allow Peterson to play. Regardless of whether or not you believe Peterson is guilty of child abuse, or just a strict father, that decision will be up to the courts to decide. However, with two separate allegations now surfacing, and a court case looming, we ask the question: should Adrian Peterson continue to play football?
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