Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson will likely avoid jail time - the 2012 NFL MVP reached a plea deal in his ongoing child abuse case.
Peterson will plead no contest to one misdemeanor count of reckless assault. If the plea is accepted by Judge Kelly Case, Peterson could be back on the field before long...but how soon?
The deal would land Peterson on probation, hand him 80 hours of community service and force him to pay a $2,000 fine, but it wouldn't have any impact on his standing with the NFL. Peterson is currently on the commissioner's exempt list, and can't be removed until he meets with Roger Goodell. Peterson has effectively been suspended with pay since being placed on the list in early September, but he still hasn't been officially suspended by the Vikings or the league.
Peterson will likely be suspended once legal proceedings conclude - most NFL players found guilty of misdemeanor charges are sidelined for between two and four games, and the only other misdemeanor assault charge in recent history landed then-Bengals RB Cedric Benson a three-game suspension back in 2011. Assuming the plea is accepted by the end of the week, that makes Minnesota's game against the New York Jets on December 7th the most likely target for Peterson to return to the field.
This all assumes that the Vikings would reinstate Peterson rather than release him...but given Minnesota's reluctance to cut ties with Peterson when media outrage was at its loudest, it wouldn't make much sense for them to let him go now. Minnesota is currently 4-5, and the Vikings will have next weekend off after beating the Redskins 29-26 on Sunday.
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