Wilf: `We made a mistake and we needed to get this right'

From a public perception standpoint, it's been quite the trifecta of declining opinion of the Vikings over the past five days.

Friday, they were called leaders among NFL teams when they de-activated Adrian Peterson after he was indicted on child abuse charges in Houston.

Monday, they were called desperate losers willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of winning when they re-activated Peterson.

Wednesday, they were essentially called greedy cowards for bending to pressure from sponsors when they re-de-activated Peterson with a release time of 12:47 a.m. Peterson officially was put on the commissioner's exempt list. He will be paid while he's away from the team and the Vikings will be able to fill his roster spot.

Later this morning, owners Zygi and Mark Wilf, head legal representative Kevin Warren and General Manager Rick Spielman met with a media horde that included nine satellite trucks, 19 cameras and a live stand-up on NFL Network that led into the press conference.

Zygi Wilf read a statement and stepped aside to let the others field questions.

"We made a mistake," Zygi Wilf said during his reading. "And we needed to get this right."

Asked if the decision by Radisson hotels to suspend its sponsorship of the team played a role in today's reversal, Mark Wilf said, "Absolutely not. We needed to get it right. … Our focus is to get things right."

Mark Wilf said the team takes child abuse very seriously and made sure to point out that all 53 players on the current roster are active in charitable causes in the community.

Spielman was asked point blank if Peterson will ever play for the Vikings again. While he said the team supported Peterson, he did not answer the question.

"Our focus today," Spielman said, "is to get this right."

Spielman said Peterson's future with the team won't be decided until after the legal process runs its course, even if the trial doesn't begin until 2015, which is now the case but could change.

Mark Wilf tried to sum up the day by recalling someone who once told him, "It's never too late to get this right."