Nike Boots Adrian Peterson as Vikings Admit ‘Mistake’
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Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Nike suspended its endorsement contract with Minnesota Viking’s star running back Adrian Peterson Wednesday as the Vikings’ leadership admitted they made a “mistake” when they said that Peterson could return to the team this week.
The team put Peterson on an exemption waiver Wednesday, making him ineligible to play, until child abuse charges against him for using a switch on his 4-year-old son are resolved. Peterson has said he is sorry for the “hurt” he inflicted on his son, but has insisted he is not a child abuser.
Nike’s decision to drop the 29-year-old star running back came a week after the popular sports brand said they were concerned and monitoring Peterson’s legal situation closely. The company officially suspended their working relationship Wednesday.
“Nike in no way condones child abuse or domestic violence of any kind and has shared our concerns with the NFL,” Nike spokesman KeJuan Wilkins said in a statement.
Vikings team owner Mark Wilf said Wednesday that Peterson will be on an exemption list until his legal proceedings have come to a close, though they will continue to pay his $11.75 million salary during that time.
Wilf would not go into why team executives benched Peterson for one game, then decided to let him play this coming Sunday, and then changed their minds and won approval to put Peterson on an exemption list.
“We made a mistake,” Wilf said at a news conference Wednesday when asked why Peterson was green lighted to play and then put on the exemption list. “The main thing is getting it right. That’s how we came to this decision.”
He said, however, that it was “absolutely not” done out of fear of fleeing sponsors. Several major sponsors have expressed their unhappiness with the flurry of domestic abuse accusations against NFL players including Peterson, Ray Rice and Greg Hardy.
“I spent time with Adrian yesterday…we came up with what we thought was the best resolution for everybody,” Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said at the conference. “He felt it was best for him to be able to step away to take care of his personal and legal matters.”
Rice, a Baltimore Ravens star running back, is under investigation for allegedly punching his wife unconscious in an Atlantic City, New Jersey casino. He has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL.
Hardy, a defensive end for the Carolina Panthers, was seen walking out of the team’s stadium Wednesday as the team’s coach confirmed that he will not be practicing Wednesday. Coach Ron Rivera did not give any details about what decision was made, but it comes as Hardy is under investigation for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in June.
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