Rand: Adrian Peterson ... voices raised

The Adrian Peterson saga, and most notably Monday's decision by the Vikings to allow him to play next weekend after sitting out this past weekend following Friday's indictment, sparked some of the most fervent debates on startribune.com that we have seen in quite a while. By 4 p.m., there were nearly 900 reader comments expressing a diverse array of opinions about the Vikings' decision, Peterson's public statement and the situation in general. Here is a sampling of those comments:

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JUST CALLED THE PR Department and voiced my OUTRAGE. I hope the rest of you do as well. Absolutely horrific but not surprising. Lost a game and $$$ counts. NICE message. Horrific decision. — d434478

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I am surprised and pleased: this is exactly the right thing to do. We are a nation of laws and, hopefully, fair process. We are not a nation of hysteria and righteousness that acts in knee-jerk fashion. — tomheu

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I'm fine with spanking, so long as the parent controls himself and his emotions and doesn't walk away without a hug and an I love you. I'm NOT OK with this, and shame on the Vikings for their moral cowardice. — michaelton

Good for AP. I'm glad he will be playing. He made a mistake, he did hit the child too hard. But my goodness, please don't take away his life because he did this. I hope the idea that these athletes are heroes goes away. They are in no way heroes. – katbirdskewl

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To Adrian: I will forgive you for whipping a small human being if you admit you were wrong and seek help. Stop hiding behind the "That's the way I was raised, and so I didn't think I did anything wrong" excuse. That doesn't fly any longer. – Vikesfan50

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Can someone explain to me why Chris Cook had to sit out all games for alleged abuse of his girlfriend until the matter was decided in the courts and Adrian Peterson gets to play? Double standards? Or is he just a more valuable player? — edwardmiro

It is possible to cheer for the Vikings while losing respect for Peterson. Let due process play out, it's there for a reason, and enjoy the game on Sunday. — Cjj0017

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A parent's job is to do a better job than your own parents. Just because Peterson stated that he was raised getting whipped by stick, does not justify him disciplining his kids that way. His job was to break that cycle. It takes an awfully weak person to beat a child in any way, shape or form. —Spring12

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Society overreacted on this one. If you compare him to Ray Rice, here's a point: Ray Rice intended to abuse his fiancée. AP's was to discipline his child, but he went overboard. No doubt that what he did was rough, but comparing the two cases is asinine. — hendog12

I would like to know if Ray Rice planned to injure his girlfriend as a remedial measure if she misbehaved. I would like to know if Ray Rice thinks he should injure her again if she misbehaves. If not, then Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson certainly are different. – kencam

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After 47 years as a Minnesota Vikings fan I am DONE!!! — cooper2012