By DAN MYERS
Sports Xchange
MINNEAPOLIS - There are more questions than answers for the Minnesota Vikings following their 30-7 loss to the New England Patriots Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium.
That’s especially true off the field.
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was deactivated by the Vikings for Sunday’s game on Friday following an indictment by a grand jury on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. Peterson was booked into Montgomery County (Texas) jail early Saturday morning but was released after posting $15,000 bond.
After the game, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer refused to talk specifically about how the team plans to move forward with Peterson, saying he would comment further at a press conference to be scheduled at some point this week.
“I don’t want to discuss the Adrian thing,” Zimmer said. “This is about the football game here, so we’ll talk about it Monday or whenever we have the press conference.”
Money is not likely to be a major factor in the Peterson decision. Though he signed a $100 million contract extension in 2011, he would cost the team just over $2.5 million if he’s released after this season. The final three years of his deal are worth $44 million.
Peterson’s 2014 salary is $12 million including offseason bonuses.
Peterson’s teammates, at least the few willing to comment, described the situation as tough, but said the distraction wasn’t a factor in the loss.
“I think, when you play in the NFL, stuff is going to come up,” Vikings safety Harrison Smith said. “Whether it be injuries, different things that may or may not be out of your control. You have to be able to roll with those things as far as playing the game. You just have to be ready.”
Zimmer agreed, saying the on-field play was a result of on-field issues.
“(Peterson’s absence) didn’t affect the team,” Zimmer said. “You know what affected the team? Throwing interceptions, getting a field goal blocked, not tackling well enough, having penalties on defense. That’s what affected the team. The team was fine.”
NFL reporter Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post tweeted after the game that sources indicated to him the Vikings will hold a conference call as soon as Sunday night to discuss the situation.
The same source said he did not believe the NFL will discipline Peterson under its new Domestic Policy guidelines unless Peterson is convicted.
A first offense under the new policy, introduced less than a month ago, calls for an automatic six-game suspension. A second offense would trigger a lifetime ban.
Peterson would qualify as a first-time offender, but because the incident took place before the policy was instituted, he could argue that he shouldn’t be subject to the automatic six-game penalty.
If Peterson could win that argument, any punishment would be the result of the NFL’s Personal Conduct policy. Some light could be shed on Peterson’s immediate future as soon as Monday.
“Nobody in this locker room condones whatever the alleged things are,” Smith said. “But we support our teammates and we’re going to stand behind our guys.”
