In the wake of his four-hour meeting with Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and G.M. Rick Spielman, running back Adrian Peterson has issued a statement that suggests his concerns were not resolved during the get-together.
“I appreciate Rick [Spielman] and Coach [Mike] Zimmer coming down to see me today,” Peterson said in a statement issued to Josina Anderson of ESPN. “We had a great dialogue and they were able to understand where I was coming from and concerns my family and I still have. We respect each other and hopefully the situation can pan out so that everyone involved is content.”
By using the phrase “still have,” Peterson’s statement suggests that Wednesday’s meeting failed to resolve them.
Zimmer has twice told PFT Live that, if Peterson is dead set on leaving the Vikings, Zimmer would accommodate the player.
Peterson’s father, Nelson, has confirmed that Adrian believes Vikings COO Kevin Warren worked with the NFL to keep Adrian off the field for the balance of the 2014 season. The truth may be that the NFL was determined to keep Peterson from playing, with or without the team’s consent. If so, the team’s best play would have been to cooperate with the league office. Resistance wouldn’t have changed the outcome, and may have simply angered the powers-that-be.