Star RB Adrian Peterson returns to Minnesota Vikings

Minneapolis (AP) — Donning his purple No. 28 jersey for the first time in nine months, Adrian Peterson said Tuesday he has apologized to the 4-year-old son he struck with a wooden switch and had "learned a lot from my mistake."

Peterson returned to the Vikings and practiced for the first time since September. He then told reporters he has met all the requirements that came from pleading no contest to a misdemeanor that caused him to miss the final 15 games of last season.

"I made a mistake," Peterson said. "I know a lot of people don't view it that way based from what they've seen, but ultimately that's what it was. My son knows that, he knows I love him. And my other kids know the same."

Peterson was placed on the commissioner's exempt list last September after he was charged with felony child abuse in Texas. The photos of the wounds that the boy suffered at Peterson's hands brought harsh criticism of the once-beloved face of the franchise and prompted sponsors to sever ties with him and the Vikings.

He has gone through counseling and therapy sessions as part of his plea agreement and had several supervised visits with his son to monitor how the two interacted. Peterson said he has learned that the form of discipline he used was no longer acceptable and now he uses other punishments like timeouts and taking toys away when it is warranted.

"I made a mistake. I'm not taking it lightly at all. It's something that I regret," Peterson said. "My son knows that and the people that truly know me and know my character and know what type of person I am when I'm with my kids, around my kids, they know that as well. Really to me, that's the only thing that matters."

The relationship between the team and its franchise player has been tense since the abuse allegations first surfaced. He was angered by a perceived lack of support from some members of the organization, namely Kevin Warren, the team's chief operating officer.

Shortly after Peterson was reinstated by the league in April, his representatives initially pushed for a trade to get him a fresh start. When that didn't happen, the focus turned to his contract. Just last week, he vented on Twitter about the details.

Suddenly, Peterson seems ready to put all of that behind him.

The 30-year-old will have his $12.75 million salary for 2015 guaranteed in Week 1, but all bets are off after that. Peterson's search for more guaranteed money in the final two years of his deal brought even more criticism from fans who believed he should be grateful for the organization's continued support after his legal troubles.

"I'm definitely not the victim and I haven't tried to play the victim in this role," Peterson said.

The Vikings maintained all along they had no plans to trade the former NFL MVP, believing that his presence could help turn a team that finished 7-9 last year into a playoff contender.

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

It's been a whirlwind few weeks for Peterson and the Vikings.

Just a week ago, there appeared to be the makings of a bitter contract dispute developing between a franchise wondering exactly what it was going to get from a player who missed almost an entire season and from a player still harboring resentment toward the league and the team for the convoluted way his discipline unfolded.

Peterson was the only player absent from the voluntary practices last week, prompting speculation that a prolonged holdout could be in the works.

Zimmer said last week that Peterson had two choices.

"He can play for us, or he cannot play," Zimmer said. "He's not going to play for anybody else and that's just the way it's going to be."

Zimmer and Peterson talked not long after those pointed comments, and days later he was on a flight from Houston back up to Minneapolis to rejoin the team and start to repair an image hit by the child abuse case and ensuing reports that he fathered children from several different women.

"I love all my kids with all my heart," Peterson said. "I'll run through a brick wall for them. I'll jump in front of a car for them. That's the type of love I have for my kids. ... A lot of people like to run with negative things. I'm used to that in life. Not just in my life, but things that I see in this world. But I'm comfortable with knowing my intentions and I'm comfortable with knowing that my child loves me and he wants to be around me."

By Jon Krawczynski, AP Sports Writer. Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Gayly – June 2, 2015 @ 4:55pm.