Crime and punishment behind him, a calm, candid Adrian Peterson comes full circle

Adrian Peterson made his return to the Minnesota Vikings official Tuesday, stepping before a bank of microphones at the team's Winter Park headquarters and declaring, "It definitely feels good to be back in the building."

Wearing a gray polo shirt with a black Vikings insignia, the star running back on Tuesday spoke from the same stage where, eight months earlier, Minnesota Vikings executives struggled to handle his stunning indictment on a child abuse charge in Texas.

Tuesday's 30-minute news conference couldn't have been further in tone or mood from the turmoil, confusion and tension that followed those days.

Back then, team executives read stiff statements and hedged when asked about the future of their superstar. On Tuesday, Vikings Coach Mike Zimmer talked about Peterson's charisma, work ethic and smile, saying, "I love this kid" and that he would "help him in any way possible."

Until Tuesday, Peterson had been a mostly out-of-sight protagonist in a drama involving millions of dollars, flashy lawyers, the state's most popular franchise, and the welfare of a 4-year-old boy punished with a switch so severely that after several days, red welts were visible in photos of his legs and buttocks.

But on Tuesday Peterson stood center stage, with Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman watching. The star's tone was somber and candid. He took his time responding to questions about how he's learned to parent without corporal punishment and what it feels like to be back on the field.

"I'm definitely not the victim. I haven't tried to play the victim," Peterson said as he talked about how prayer helped him through the past months.

Unlike his disjointed tweets last week, which created a social media sensation that was often derisive of Peterson, he was direct and upbeat. He said he was glad to see familiar faces, before adding, "some not so much."

That was the only whiff of animus in his return to Minnesota, a return that at times had seemed unlikely. Without visible anger or dismissive frustration, he took on sensitive questions from reporters that had been building up for months.

Peterson played only the first game in the 2014 season, which the Vikings won, and ever since has been mostly in Texas. Without the star, the team finished 7-9.

He described an emotional and confusing time when he wasn't sure he wanted to return to football. "With everything going on in my life at that time, I didn't really know what I wanted."

He said he watched the games and noted that some fans still wore his number, and thanked them for their support through the "trying" and "emotional" time.

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

His son, he said, was the first person he apologized to after the incident a year ago in which he struck the boy with a switch while the boy was on a visit from his home in Minnesota to Peterson's home in Texas.

Peterson was comfortable enough Tuesday to tell a story about his first court-supervised visit with his son after the indictment.

Using a softer voice, he role-played the boy describing a clandestine plan. He said his son called him aside during a supervised visit to describe how an uncle could spirit him away for a visit to his dad in Texas.

Peterson shook his head and smiled, recollecting his response, "You know, that sounds good, but I don't think that's a good idea, and especially right now I don't think that's going to work out."

Peterson said he has fulfilled all the sentencing requirements from his felony plea last year. He declined to say whether he still must have supervision when he sees his son. The boy lives with his mother, who is not Peterson's wife.

Montgomery County (Texas) Assistant District Attorney Phil Grant said the probation department now tracks Peterson's case. "I have not been notified that he has violated, so it appears he is on track," Grant said. He said he does not believe, however, that Peterson has completed his required public service announcements.

Peterson's sentence also included counseling and parenting lessons. Last fall and summer, he said he was punishing his son physically in the same manner he had been disciplined. He said he viewed that discipline as helpful in shaping him as an adult. "I made a mistake; I'm not taking it lightly at all," he said at the time.

He said he's since learned that there are "all different kinds of discipline."

As a Vikings aide declared the news conference coming to a close, a reporter asked Peterson what he wanted people to understand about him.

Peterson paused, bit his lip, and talked about how he would run through a brick wall for his children. "I would just say, you know, I love all my kids," he said, before walking off the stage and out of the room with a phalanx of happy Vikings executives.

Rochelle Olson • 612-673-1747 Twitter: @rochelleolson