Vikings clear Adrian Peterson to return to team

For the Minnesota Vikings, one game without Adrian Peterson was enough.

The team announced Monday that the All-Pro running back will be back this week despite his arrest on suspicion of causing injury to a child and indictment on child abuse charges. The club deactivated Peterson for Sunday’s home game against New England, a 30-7 Vikings loss.

“Currently we believe we are at a juncture where the most appropriate next step is to allow the judicial process to move forward,” team owners Zygi and Mark Wilf said in a joint statement.

A prosecutor in Texas said Peterson “exceeded reasonable standards” in punishing his 4-year-old son, leaving the child with cuts on his thighs and hand, and bruises on his lower back and buttocks.

Peterson, the NFL’s 2012 most valuable player, surrendered to police in Texas early Saturday morning and was released from jail on $15,000 bail. He could face up to two years in prison if convicted, according to the prosecutor, Phil Grant of the Montgomery County district attorney’s office, who said probation is also an option.

Peterson probably will appear in court “within a few weeks,” Grant said.

The Vikings’ statement in full:

Today’s decision was made after significant thought, discussion and consideration. As evidenced by our decision to deactivate Adrian from yesterday’s game, this is clearly a very important issue. On Friday, we felt it was in the best interests of the organization to step back, evaluate the situation, and not rush to judgment given the seriousness of this matter. At that time, we made the decision that we felt was best for the Vikings and all parties involved.

To be clear, we take very seriously any matter that involves the welfare of a child. At this time, however, we believe this is a matter of due process and we should allow the legal system to proceed so we can come to the most effective conclusions and then determine the appropriate course of action. This is a difficult path to navigate, and our focus is on doing the right thing. Currently we believe we are at a juncture where the most appropriate next step is to allow the judicial process to move forward.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and support Adrian’s fulfillment of his legal responsibilities throughout this process.