VikesCentric: Is Adrian Worth The Trouble - Part Two, The PR Hit

Earlier this week we kicked off our three part series Is Adrian Worth The Trouble. On Monday we discussed some of the monetary ramifications surrounding Peterson's retention with the team (CLICK HERE to read that gem). Today, we dive into another facet that needs to be considered, the hit to the public relations for both the player and the team.

For the first seven years of his career, Adrian was the star child that everybody had dreamed of. A dominant player on the football field and a good guy off the field. We saw him working with the Special Olympics, we saw photos of him visiting the Children's Hospital and for the most part he said the right things the whole way through.

The last calendar year has not treated Adrian all that well.

Once the pied piper of Minnesota, Peterson has since seen fans lash out towards him for his behavior and while that feeling may have lessened with time, it most certainly has not gone away.

An informal poll taken on Twitter last weekend asking fans if they would like to see Peterson back in purple netted these responses…

"He beat his kid. He's a piece of s***. Let him play in Dallas."

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"Slate wiped clean? As if he suddenly didn't beat his 4 year old son?"

Sure there were those on the other side too that looked past the off the field issues and focused on the football, but that doesn't necessarily sound like a fan base that is completely willing to welcome Adrian back with open arms. And it's Adrian's fault.

He was the one who, in a lethal series of gaffes, has had rumors and stories of his out of wedlock children leaked and followed it up with a child abuse case, to which he responded by reportedly failing a drug test and then retroactively was outed to holding what was called "an orgy" in a hotel room paid for by his charities credit card. That's on Adrian.

But the concern over public relations goes well past Adrian. While I'm sure there is some part of him that cares about his reputation, he'll still get his millions here or elsewhere. This PR hit may in a bigger way affect the Minnesota Vikings.

Remember back to the first few days that we found out about the child abuse accusations, to the pictures of a bruised and bloodied 4-year old that surfaced and were quickly removed. Immediately, with no questions asked or no patience for a verdict, sponsors began to drop off. The Radisson hotel group jumped off board their team sponsorship with the Vikings almost immediately. Nike and Castrol were next, ending long-term relationships with the star running back.

Phone call inquiries have surely been made to the rest of the team's sponsors to gauge the effect that bringing Peterson back could have on the team's bottom line. There is most certainly a list in someone's office with two columns on it. One column with sponsors who won't mind if Adrian comes back, and one column of sponsors who are ready to jump ship if he returns unscathed.

I guess what we don't know, is what really matters. How long is that second column? And how long is too long for it to impact the decision to retain him or not?

Wednesday afternoon, at the unveiling of the Wilf Family Center at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, team owner and president Mark Wilf mentioned that the team is interested in bringing Adrian back saying, "Of course, [Adrian] is a Minnesota Viking and we'd love to have him back."

Was that a genuine comment or the work of a PR master who has had experience with rebuilding a public image or two before?