The Sports Xchange

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings never were going to trade Adrian Peterson in a buyer’s market for 30-year-old running backs. And his team-oriented personality and quest to be remembered as the greatest football player in NFL history never would have permitted him to hold out once training camp began.

So those close to the team always expected the 2012 NFL MVP would return to the field in Vikings purple at some point this summer. But that doesn’t mean Tuesday wasn’t a significant day in the life and career of the probable future Pro Football Hall of Famer.

An apologetic Peterson returned to Winter Park for the Vikings’ second week of OTA practices. He was greeted by open arms and hugs from teammates and coaches. He practiced, allowing offensive coordinator Norv Turner to fool the defense with a play-action deep pass on Peterson’s first snap since he was exiled from the team and the NFL when a Houston grand jury handed down an indictment on child-abuse charges the Friday before the Vikings’ Week 2 game last September.

And then Peterson faced the media for 19 minutes. He’s likely to score even more points with a skeptical and sour fan base for the remorseful tone he took and for admitting multiple times that, “I made a mistake” for the injuries he caused when he used a wooden switch to discipline his 41/2-year-old son.

“The first person I apologized to was my son,” Peterson said. “That was right after the situation took place, when I realized what had happened. I apologized about the mistake that I made. It wasn’t my intentions. And I’ve been trying to move forward since. I made a mistake, and I don’t take that lightly.”

Last week, the already-rocky relationship between the Vikings and Peterson seemed to crack a little further when voluntary OTAs opened and Peterson was the only player not to attend. Head coach Mike Zimmer said Peterson had two choices: to play for the Vikings or to play for no one. Peterson, meanwhile, went on a Twitter rant to complain about his contract, which still has about $45 million left over three years — including $12.75 million this year — but no more guaranteed money.

On Tuesday, Peterson said he missed last week’s OTAs because of a personal commitment. Zimmer said the Vikings made no contractual concessions to get Peterson to show up but added, “I’ll always fight for my players.”

Zimmer also said he didn’t mean for last week’s statement to be confrontational toward Peterson.

“We welcome him with open arms, unequivocally,” Zimmer said. “He’s been such a tremendous part of this organization. I have the utmost respect for him. I always have. I’ve always supported him 100 percent and will continue to do so as long as he’s with us. And hopefully that’s for a long, long time.

“I’m proud of Adrian and the fact that all of the things he had to go through last year. We’re ready to move forward with football.”

Zimmer called Peterson “a Hall of Fame player” and Peterson returned the compliments by saying the current coaching staff is the best he has had since the team took him seventh overall in the 2007 draft. And, for the record, Peterson also stood to lose $250,000 in bonus money if he were to have missed too many OTA practices.

Peterson played in the 2014 season opener, gaining 75 yards in a 34-6 blowout win at St. Louis. Five days later, the bottom fell out.

He was charged with and indicted for child abuse. The Vikings deactivated him for Week 2, announced he would return the following Monday and were slammed hard by a public outcry that included corporate sponsors vowing to pull the plug on their relationship.

The NFL stepped in and Peterson was quickly put on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. Peterson became one of the high-profile faces of the NFL’s domestic-violence crisis, tearing apart what had been one of the league’s better images in the process.

On Nov. 4, Peterson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault. He was suspended by the NFL two weeks later and deemed eligible for reinstatement not until April 15. He lost $4.1 million, or six weeks’ pay, from his $11.75 million salary in 2014.

Peterson and the NFLPA fought for reinstatement but were unsuccessful in attempts that included a union grievance, an appeal to commissioner Roge6r Goodell and a trip to a federal court in Minneapolis. The court returned the case to the league, which returned Peterson to the exempt list until he was reinstated April 16.

Peterson and his agent, Ben Dogra, tried to get Peterson traded before the draft. Both said at the time that it would be better for Peterson to get a fresh start elsewhere.

On Tuesday, Peterson didn’t back away from what he and Dogra said back then.

“I’m going to be absolutely 100 percent (honest),” he said. “With everything going on with my life during that time, I didn’t really know what I wanted. I didn’t know if I wanted to play someplace else. I didn’t know if I wanted to retire. I didn’t know if I wanted to go off and get into track or just do something different.”

Asked if he still felt that way, Peterson didn’t hesitate, which will help him in the court of public opinion.

“No, I’m happy where I’m at here with the Minnesota Vikings,” Peterson said. “I love the coaching staff. I’ve said it before, but I feel like this is the best coaching staff we’ve seen since I’ve been here. I like what they represent.

“We have a young team, a hungry team, excellent young quarterback who has a year under his belt now. And we have a lot of talent. We can accomplish great things.”