After missing 15 games last season regarding a child abuse case, it is uncertain what Adrian Peterson’s role on the Vikings will be in 2015. It appears that the NFL will reinstate him into the league, which will allow him to rejoin the Vikings and continue where he left off in 2013. However, it does not appear that the Vikings are welcoming him back onto their team with open arms. Let’s look at the arguments for keeping our star running back or kicking him to the curb.

AP should remain a Viking because he has every right to play for us. He is still currently under contract, and we have no reason to get rid of him. While it did make sense to sideline AP while he was on trial, that is no longer the situation. His court case has been resolved, and his probation will not impact his playing in any way, shape, or form. Furthermore, Adrian Peterson has been the face of Minnesota sports for the past five years, and is still only 30 years old. He has years of football left in him, and it is unfair of the Vikings to remove him from the team, after all he has done while wearing purple and yellow. He made mistakes away from the football field, and agreed to his legal punishments. It is not the Vikings’ job to further punish him.

Adrian Peterson should no longer be a Viking because his actions were inexcusable and unforgivable. Football is a privilege, not a right. The NFL is trying to remove domestic violence from the sport, and allowing AP to continue to play just serves to contradict their message. He pleaded “no contest” to his court case because he was clearly guilty of the crimes he committed. On top of that, Peterson refuses to apologize for his actions and agree that they were inappropriate. The Vikings have no moral obligation to keep Peterson on the team, and can justly cut him or trade him to another team. Besides the moral issues of keeping Peterson, he is a veteran running back in a position run by youth. Seeing that he is already 30 years old, he may only have a one or two good years left in him. He also is set to earn over 12 million dollars this year, which is far more than he is worth to any team in football. He is a PR liability that is eating up money from the Vikings. There is no reason to allow Peterson to stay a Viking.