Vikings' Adrian Peterson will practice this week, expected to play Sunday

The Minnesota Vikings announced Monday that star running back Adrian Peterson, who last week was indicted on a felony charge of injury to a child, will practice

The Minnesota Vikings announced Monday that star running back Adrian Peterson, who last week was indicted on a felony charge of injury to a child, will practice this week and is expected to play Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.

Peterson is alleged to have hit his four-year old son with a tree branch as a method of punishment. Peterson turned himself into authorities and was released from jail after posting $15,000 bail.

The Vikings deactivated him before last Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots. 

In a statement, Vikings owner Zygi and Mark Wilf addressed the decision to reinstate Peterson.

Today’s decision was made after significant thought, discussion and consideration. As evidenced by our decision to deactivate Adrian from yesterday’s game, this is clearly a very important issue. On Friday, we felt it was in the best interests of the organization to step back, evaluate the situation, and not rush to judgment given the seriousness of this matter. At that time, we made the decision that we felt was best for the Vikings and all parties involved.

To be clear, we take very seriously any matter that involves the welfare of a child. At this time, however, we believe this is a matter of due process and we should allow the legal system to proceed so we can come to the most effective conclusions and then determine the appropriate course of action. This is a difficult path to navigate, and our focus is on doing the right thing. Currently we believe we are at a juncture where the most appropriate next step is to allow the judicial process to move forward.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and support Adrian’s fulfillment of his legal responsibilities throughout this process.

Peterson, 28, has been selected to the Pro Bowl six times and led the NFL in rushing twice.

- Chris Johnson