Adrian Peterson isn't sure he wants to play for the Vikings again.
While Minnesota has made it clear that it would like to have Peterson back, the running back is "still uneasy" about returning and feels that the team turned its back on him after he was charged last year with abusing his 4-year-old son.
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"There were people (in the organization) that I trusted, who knew exactly what was said, that weren't heard from in the decision-making process. They weren't able to do anything about it," Peterson told ESPN.com. He declined to provide specifics.
Peterson had a court hearing Feb. 6 in which the NFL Players Association demanded Peterson's immediate reinstatement from a league suspension. Peterson and the NFLPA are also suing the league for altering its rules in Peterson's case and forcing him to see an NFL-assigned psychiatrist. Unless Judge David Doty rules in the NFLPA's favor, Peterson can't be reinstated until April 15.
"It shows you can have all the loyalty toward someone and toward an organization, a fan base, but when things really shift and it's you or the empire, they're going to put you out on a leash," he said. "I said, 'Of course (I would love to come back to the Vikings).' I said it. But my emotions, as far as those things I feel, those are for players like (linebacker) Chad Greenway, those guys that play the game just like me, that have the same passion I have, the same goal I have, to win a championship. That's where it comes from. It don't come from the organization. I'm not in a good place when it comes to that."
Peterson's contract runs through 2015 and he is expected to earn at least $12.75 million next season. While Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer has stated he wants Peterson back, he also has said that it needs to be a "two-way street" and that the team won't force him to return.
Peterson told ESPN.com his problems with the organization run deep and that it will take more than being asked to return for him to feel comfortable in Minnesota.
"I have a wife who was able to sit back and see how people in Minnesota said this and said that, how media in Minnesota took the head of the situation with my child, and were digging into things that weren't even relevant. That wasn't people in Texas (where Peterson was charged) — it was people in Minnesota that dug in and brought things out," he was quoted as saying. "That impacted me, but most importantly, it impacted the people around me — my family, my kids. This came from the state I love so much, that I wish to bring a championship to? This is how they treat me when I'm down and out? You kick me? My wife (and I), we've had several conversations about me returning to Minnesota, what the best options are. If I left it up to her, I'd be somewhere else today, and that's with her weighing everything. It's a lot for me to weigh; she understands that. But there are some things that I'm still uneasy about."
Peterson played in only one game last season, recording 75 yards on 21 carries. He used his time off to reflect.
"Just having the time to sit back and clear my mind, this has really changed me mentally," he told ESPN.com. "My approach to things is going to be on a different level. With the things I've been through the last year, things definitely have more meaning. When I'm able to apply that when I'm working out and getting ready for something, it's always a great thing. It's always great when I'm able to put in great quality work. I'm ready to shock the world."