Peterson back with Vikings, practicing

MINNEAPOLIS — 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 switch and has “learned a lot from my mistake.”

Peterson, 30, 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.

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.

The relationship between the team and its franchise player has been tense since the abuse allegations 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 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.