He's back.
Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings All Pro/All World/All Universe running back has decided to abandon his quest for a trade and will join the team for OTAs on Tuesday.
ESPN was the first to report Peterson's decision.
"I'm returning because I want to. I'm a part of this football team and I owe it to the guys I play with and to our coaches," Peterson wrote in an email to ESPN. "I was planning on coming in this week, and I'm looking forward to getting back on the field. It's what I love to do."
Peterson, 30, has been away from the Vikings for nearly nine months now. He was indicted on Sept. 12, 2014 for a domestic violence incident involving his then four-year-old son.
After a federal judge overturned his indefinite, league-mandated suspension, Peterson expressed a strong disinterest in returning to a Minnesota franchise he felt did not fully support him through his ordeal.
Peterson's agent Ben Dogra stated his belief that it was in his clients "best interests" to continue his NFL career elsewhere.
The Vikings though, remained staunch in their desire to see Peterson return to the fold, with head coach Mike Zimmer going as far in recent day as to say that Peterson could play for Minnesota or he could not play.
Peterson seemed to take that to heart and has now, per ESPN, chosen to report.
"I've been watching this game from the sidelines for far too long," Peterson said. "My teammates and coaches are important to me. Those relationships matter, and I owe it to those guys. I knew I wanted to come in this week. I had a family obligation last week but I'm ready to put on a Vikings uniform again and get back to work."
He also expressed excitement at the notion of playing in offensive coordinator Norv Turner's system.
"I know what kind of offense Norv Turner runs, and this year there was a lot of production out of the shotgun formation with the passing game and the running game," Peterson said. "I feel like I bring a different dynamic to the back end and with that it will allow for different formations to be presented that will allow the quarterback to be comfortable."
