Vikings Coach With a Message For Adrian Petersen: "He Can Either Play For Us Or He Cannot Play"

Yahoo- The Adrian Peterson saga is leading to one of two conclusions, no matter how many alternate paths are suggested.

And if there was any ambiguity about the situation, Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer laid them out very simply.

"Adrian really has two choices: He can either play for us or he cannot play," Zimmer told reporters on Wednesday, via the NFL Network. "He's not going to play for anyone else, that's just the way it's going to be." 

That's it. That's the list. And the "he'll retire" part of that equation seems like the emptiest of threats.


Listen, I appreciate this move from Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. Far too often organizations make moves to appease malcontent players. It was a little refreshing for Mike Zimmer to not settle for accepting less than Adrian Petersen is worth just to make the distraction to go away. Make no mistake, Petersen is more valuable to the Vikings than anything that they could possibly get back for him in a trade. He's a running back that has been marked with the scarlet letter of being over 30 years old. He hasn't shown any signs of regression, but then again, he hasn't been on the field to prove otherwise. With the way that running backs break down there isn't a team in the league that was going to pay a premium for services that he hasn't shown he can continue to provide.

Now like I said, I am glad that the Vikings are sticking to their guns, but I do believe it's time to admit something; Adrian Petersen got fucking hosed. I am not saying what he did was right. I'm not saying that he should be able to discipline his children how ever he sees fit. I'm not even saying that he didn't deserve punishment for causing his kid physical harm. I am saying that he definitely didn't deserve all that he has gone through. Thanks a lot Ray Rice. Imagine if the tape of Ray catching his wife with a hard right had come out one week after the photos of Adrian's child instead of one week before? Can't imagine there would have been too much backlash to a two game suspension for over disciplining a kid.  The difference in intent alone is enough to view Petersen's transgressions in a far less critical light. Not all stupidity is created equally. However, that didn't stop the NFL from slapping him with a year long suspension mainly for being a victim of bad timing and circumstance. While Petersen is locked on to a team that he feels wronged him and disrespected him during the legal process, Greg Hardy, whose actions were far more severe, just signed a new deal with Dallas. Ray McDonald got a second chance with Chicago (and subsequently ruined it) and Ray Rice should be in a new training camp come summer time. Out of all the players that had to endure strict punishments from the NFL, the person that deserved it the least probably lost the most. It's not like he can come out and express displeasure with the ruling without getting absolutely crucified by the media, and it's tough to feel too much sympathy for a man that hit a young boy to the point of breaking skin. However, to say that he got the short end of the stick would be a drastic understatement.