Minnesota Vikings Should Steer Clear of Adrian Peterson Despite Plea Bargain

By Casey Drottar @cdrottar19 on November 4, 2014

One of the biggest stories of the year for the NFL just took a major turn this morning.

Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings running back accused of child abuse, has reportedly reached a plea deal. According to reports, Peterson will enter a plea of one misdemeanor count of reckless assault, a lesser charge than felony child-abuse, which he was initially facing. If the plea is accepted, Peterson will be able to avoid any jail time. Instead, he would be placed on probation, pay a fine of $2,000 and perform 80 hours of community service.

Outside of this, it’s now up to the league to determine if they want to issue further punishment to Peterson. Technically, he hasn’t been suspended by the NFL, instead serving time on the commissioner’s exempt list. He has still received pay. The league could determine the eight games he’s missed is enough, and possibly even reinstate him.

Would the NFL really take their already damaged reputation and add more fuel to the fire by saying Peterson has done enough (paid) time for his crime and let him back on the field? Who knows. There’s been plenty of evidence showing their struggles in this department so far this year.

However, let’s say they go ahead and say Peterson is reinstated, welcome to return to the Vikings upon said ruling being released. If this indeed goes down, Minnesota will have a decision to make. Should they just put Peterson back on the field as if things are great again? Is being paid to stay away from the team facility for eight games enough of a punishment for the fans to accept? Should the team issue its own punishment?

Honestly, it doesn’t matter what happens regarding Peterson’s plea. If the NFL decides he can go back to work, the Vikings should do whatever they can to cut ties with him.

Yes, Peterson has admitted to a crime. Upon approval of the plea he entered, he will be issued some punishment. By avoiding trial, he’s also avoiding a public relations nightmare which would come with his continued assurance he’s done nothing wrong. This is definitely a major move from him.

But, the Vikings need to ask themselves, honestly, if the punishment Peterson will receive is enough to make up for the absolutely horrifying crime he committed. If probation, a $2,000 fine — which essentially equals pennies to Peterson – and community service, along with the team paying him despite his not playing for eight games, makes it OK for him to resume life as usual.

It’s not. Not even close.

All things considered, the punishments Peterson would be issued if this appeal is accepted are a joke. Take another look at the damage he caused to his severely beaten son, and then ask yourself if these slaps on the wrist, in addition to essentially eight weeks paid vacation, are enough to make up for it. They clearly aren’t, and Minnesota has to know this.

If they don’t, you better bet their sponsors will let them know. Those same sponsors who fled as quickly as they could after the team’s inexplicable initial decision to let Peterson play when the charges first came out, resulting in the Vikings conveniently changing their minds. The same sponsors who specifically requested not to have their ads run during Vikings games back in September.

How do you think they’ll handle this if they watch Minnesota react to this latest development with some sort of “justice has been served” excuse?

Money talks, especially in the NFL. Even if Peterson’s deal is accepted, you better believe many sponsors still won’t want to have their names and logos associated with him, or the team who is allowing him to play.

On top of this, consider what kind of reaction this will receive from the fans. Remember, Michael Vick served prison time for his crimes of animal abuse, and there is still a large percentage of fans who are vehemently opposed to him. Remember this when you think about the idea of Peterson serving no jail time, dodging any severe punishment and returning to the football field the same year he beat a four-year-old with a tree branch.

This can’t be about wins and losses for the Vikings. Yes, bringing Peterson back under the veil of “well, he served his punishment,” would most likely help the team compete on the field. However, this is bigger than the game itself. The Vikings have to know that, if they were to let Peterson play again this season, it would be seen as them claiming a $2,000 fine is enough punishment for thrashing an innocent child.

Will this be what the Vikings mean to say? Of course not. But, this is how it’ll be received by fans and sponsors alike.

Too much damage has already been done by Peterson’s actions. This minor penalty isn’t enough to fix even a small bit of it. It doesn’t fix the allegations of just exactly what he was spending his charity’s funds on. It doesn’t change the fact he told the person in charge of testing his urine in court that he had “smoked a little weed.” And it certainly doesn’t even remotely make up for child abuse.

Minnesota can avoid what is sure to be a huge mess by finding a way to cut ties with Peterson. At surface level, it sounds ludicrous to let go of arguably the best player in the entire league. But, by sticking with Peterson, and the numerous rushing yards and touchdowns he’d likely rack up, the Vikings would also be sticking with someone who just found a loophole in the system which allowed him to avoid serving prison time for a heinous crime.

Maybe they’d decide to just suspend Peterson on their own for the rest of the year, with plans to get rid of him in the offseason. Maybe Minnesota would just flat out cut him now. Either way, there’s no denying it: the Vikings need to take the high road here, and said road involves moving on from Peterson.

Casey Drottar is a Featured Columnist for www.Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @CDrottar19 or “Like” him on Facebook