Well, it looks like the Vikings aren’t so keen on a child-beater playing for them after all. After announcing Adrian Peterson would be allowed to play this weekend, the Vikes said, “OOPS!” and decided to suspend him.
Technically, he’s on the exempt/commissioner’s permission list instead of suspended, but he won’t play until the legal process plays itself out. Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf said they did some soul-searching and realized this was the right choice.
“While we were trying to make a balanced decision yesterday, after further reflection we have concluded that this resolution is best for the Vikings and for Adrian,” they said in a statement. “We want to be clear: we have a strong stance regarding the protection and welfare of children, and we want to be sure we get this right. At the same time we want to express our support for Adrian and acknowledge his seven-plus years of outstanding commitment to this organization and this community.”
Yeah, that stance is so strong they were going to let him play until sponsors started bailing. Radisson suspended its limited partnership with the team on Monday. Anheuser-Busch considered doing the same. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, Sen. Al Franken and his opponent Mike McFadden said the decision was wrong. Even Nike suspended all endorsement deals with him on Wednesday.
So let that be a lesson to you, folks. Do whatever you think is right, no matter how morally reprehensible it might be, until the sponsors bail. Then take some time to “reflect” and go into full PR mode. There’s no way it could backfire!