Vikings Are Among NFL's Leading Teams For Player Arrests
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Adrian Peterson child abuse case is not the first time a Vikings player has been in trouble.
But how the Vikings are handling this case is a bit different.
Vikings players have been arrested 45 times since 2000 for crimes ranging from assault, to drunk driving, to disorderly conduct.
That's one of the highest numbers for any team in the NFL.
When cornerback Chris Cook was arrested for domestic abuse in 2011, the Vikings treated his case much differently.
He got paid, but was told to stay away from the team. Cook was arrested for hitting and choking his girlfriend after she spoke to an ex-boyfriend. He was later acquitted.
The Vikings first suspended him without pay, and then put him back on the payroll.
General Manager Rick Spielman says the Peterson case is much different, and the team makes personnel decisions on a case-by-case basis.
"Those are all different situations. And based on the facts that we're able to gather, we make those determination as an organization based on individual situations that have arose," Spielman said. "I cannot go into detail on the facts and all the information that we gather. But once we gather the information we can, that's when we make our determination and base our decision."
Spielman said Monday that the Vikings did their own investigation of Peterson. He said based on Peterson as a person, and based on what Peterson has done for the community, he deserved to be reinstated.