Adrian Peterson has one person in his corner, Reggie Bush. The Minnesota Vikings running back is currently facing an uncertain future after turning himself in on child abuse charges. The Vikings have placed their star running back on the exempt list which means he is essentially barred from the team until told differently. Bush believes the punishment is simply unfair and that Peterson should be allowed to play.
The Vikings announced on Wednesday that Peterson will be on the exempt list until his child abuse case is resolved. After being indicted last week, Peterson spoke out denying the allegations, but Minnesota is not taking any chances in the matter.
"After giving the situation additional thought, we have decided this is the appropriate course of action for the organization and for Adrian," Vikings owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf said in a statement (via ESPN.com). "We are always focused on trying to make the right decision as an organization. We embrace our role -- and the responsibilities that go with it -- as a leader in the community, as a business partner and as an organization that can build bridges with our fans and positively impact this great region. We appreciate and value the input we have received from our fans, our partners and the community."
One person standing up for Peterson is Bush, who said that he has considered harsh discipline for his 1-year-old daughter if the situation spoke for it. He believes the punishment on Peterson is unfair considering he was just demonstrating the same discipline he experienced as a kid.
"I was punished the same way," Bush said, via WFAN's "Boomer and Carton". "And I know a lot of my friends and a lot of the guys I played with, they were punished the same way, too. I got what we call whoopings."
For now, Peterson will sit out as he is not allowed at team facilities. His next court date is Oct. 8 where he could see some kind of resolution to the case. That means Peterson will not be active until then at the earliest unless negotiations take place sooner. One player who understands that Peterson will not be around for some time is wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson who said the Vikings need to learn to play without the running back.
"We've got to have the mindset that (No.) 28 probably ain't going to be here with us," Patterson said, via ESPN.com. "So we have to come in and do what we do best."
