The Vikings aren't dancing around the subject anymore. Pending the resolution of Adrian Peterson's suspension, they want their star running back to return.
"I think our organization and individuals in our organization from (owner and chairman) Zygi Wilf to Mark Wilf to Coach to Rick Spielman, all have made it very clear that they all would welcome Adrian back once he gets all the open items resolved with the league, and I feel the exact same way," Kevin Warren, the team's chief operating officer said Thursday.
Peterson has a laundry list of requirements to meet in order to achieve reinstatement from the Commissioner. The NFL suspended Peterson on Nov. 18 stemming from a no contest plea on what the league called "an incident of abusive discipline" toward his 4-year-old son. Peterson is scheduled to be reinstated April 15. The NFL Players Association filed a suit intent on getting Peterson back in the league sooner.
Mark Wilf, co-owner and president of the Vikings, echoed those sentiments on Wednesday.
"Adrian has done a lot of good in this community," Wilf said. "He's done a lot for us on the football field as well, and, of course, he's a Minnesota Viking and we'd love to have him back."
These comments are an extension of the team's season-ending news conferences with coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Spielman, both of whom supported a return recently.
Of course, they know selling Peterson's on-field abilities is not the hard part.
