Adrian Peterson’s agent, Vikings owner disagree on player’s future

The Adrian Peterson saga in Minnesota could be on its way to getting pretty ugly.

The star running back said last month that he felt “uneasy” about returning to the Minnesota Vikings after all that transpired last season following his indictment by a grand jury in Texas on a felony charge of injury to a child.

His agent, Ben Dogra, took it a step further Tuesday when asked if he thought Peterson would be back with the Vikings next season.

“I don’t think it’s in Adrian’s best interest to play in Minnesota,” Dogra said in the lobby of the Arizona Biltmore hotel, site of the NFL owners meetings. “Why would it be?”

Dogra expanded on his position in a phone interview with the Associated Press later in the morning.

“We clearly understand he’s under contact with the Vikings,” Dogra said. “After several discussions and much thought, I believe that it’s not in his best interest to resume his career in Minnesota. It might be best for all parties involved for him to resume his career elsewhere.”

Minutes after Dogra’s initial comments, however, Vikings co-owner and President Mark Wilf reiterated the team’s stance on Peterson -- a stance that does not seem to gel with that expressed by the 2012 NFL MVP’s agent.

“The bottom line is Adrian is an important part of the Minnesota Vikings,” Wilf said. “He’s represented us on and off the field. We’re getting ready for the 2015 season and we fully expect him to join his teammates and be a part of what we feel is going to be a great season ahead.”

Peterson played just one game last season before being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, which means he was paid but could not play. After pleading no contest to a reduced charge of misdemeanor reckless assault on Nov. 4, Peterson was suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. That suspension was lifted by a U.S. District Court judge last month, and Peterson was put back on the exempt list.

The Vikings would seem to hold the upper hand in this standoff since Peterson is under contract for three more years. Of course, Peterson could always hold out until he’s traded or released.

Like I said, it could get ugly.

Twitter: @chewkiii