It’s been less than 48 hours since Adrian Peterson’s NFL suspension was overturned, but one thing that seems certain is Adrian Peterson doesn’t seem too inclined to return to the Minnesota Vikings, and the team appears to feel pretty much the same way.

There is still a ton of confusion, hurt feelings, and controversy concerning Adrian Peterson. The best running back in the league is still trying got make it back onto the field after dealing with his legal troubles over the harsh disciplining of his young son. According to NFL.com, U.S. District Judge David S. Doty has ruled in favor of Peterson, granting an NFL Players Association motion to vacate a previous suspension. Once this ruling was overturned, the NFL simply put Peterson back on the Commissioner’s Exempt List so this is all still a murky situation to say the least.

There appears to be some doubt as to whether the Vikings really want Peterson back, although they are publicly saying they do. The Vikings say they look forward to “welcoming (Peterson) back when he is able to rejoin our organization.” That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement to get their best player back as soon as possible. It’s corporate speak. And it’s understandable. Minnesota doesn’t want to be seen as supporting his behavior in the spanking incident. While their public image is a concern, money is a big factor as well. Shocker right?

Peterson will count $15.4 million against the salary cap in 2015. He will be a 30 year old running back earning a healthy chunk of his team’s payroll. That is fine for the next couple of years, but what about three years from now when he is bound to be on the decline. Backs over 30 do not get better. That is a fact and even though Peterson is a physical freak, he is no match for father time. It may sound crazy for the Vikings to try and shed Peterson right now, but if they want to save money, now is the time. The NFL is a cold hard business and Peterson has put himself at a disadvantage with this court case.

The NFL no longer cares what the legal system says about these abuse cases. The Shield is out to protect its own brand. If that means sitting a guy like Adrian Peterson, they will do it gladly. They are not going to be soft on cases like this ever again. That’s why Peterson got put back on the Commissioner’s Exempt List and it’s why the Vikes are not jumping for joy over Peterson’s win with the appeal in court.

Even though I know Peterson sells a lot of tickets in Minnesota and he is the best player they have, I would try to get rid of him. He won’t be able to live up to his contract in the next few seasons. It’s as simple as that and the Vikings are going nowhere fast anyway. A Super Bowl is not in the near future for this mediocre team.

This isn’t about whether Peterson was right or wrong with his discipline methods. This is about a team running a business. They lost Peterson in 2014 when he was still in his prime. They can choose to keep the player and hope he stays at the top of the league for the remaining time left on his deal. That’s just rolling the dice though and successful businesses are not run that way. Neither are successful NFL franchises.

This should get many people talking and debating, but a U.S. District Judge has sided with Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson and overturned the NFL’s denial of his appeal to be reinstated. Yup, you have to think for a second, but basically, Peterson wanted to get reinstated after all the controversy of child abuse hit the running back, and the NFL wasn’t feeling it so he took it a step further.

The statement they issued didn’t expressly address the question of whether the Vikings can now speak directly to running back Adrian Peterson, who has been restored from suspended status to the Commissioner-Exempt list. Per a team source, they can.

That’s a huge development for the Vikings, who hadn’t been able to make their case directly to Peterson as to why he should return for a ninth season with the team. In a visit last week to PFT Live on NBC Sports Radio, coach Mike Zimmermade the case that he’d make directly to Peterson.

Now, Zimmer can make that case directly to Peterson, and the Vikings can try to secure from him a renewed commitment to remain in Minnesota.

Ultimately, the decision could come down to money. For now, the Vikings have the ability to mend fences and rebuild bridges before allowing him to once again break the bank with a base salary of $12.75 million.

U.S. District Judge David Doty on Thursday overturned NFL arbitrator Harold Henderson’s denial of Adrian Peterson’s appeal, clearing the way for the Minnesota Vikings running back’s possible reinstatement to the league.

Doty issued his order Thursday, less than three weeks after hearing oral arguments. The ruling sends the case back for further proceedings consistent with the rules of the collective bargaining agreement.

The league had suspended Peterson through at least April 15 under its personal conduct policy for his role in a child abuse scandal that shook the league. Doty said in his 16-page ruling that Henderson “simply disregarded the law of the shop and in doing so failed to meet his duty” under the CBA.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement that the league disagrees with Doty’s decision and will appeal.

“We believe strongly that Judge Doty’s order is incorrect and fundamentally at odds with well-established legal precedent governing the district court’s role in reviewing arbitration decisions,” McCarthy said. “As a result, we have filed a notice of appeal to have the ruling reviewed by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.”

McCarthy said that Peterson would be placed back on commissioner Roger Goodell’s exempt list rather than being immediately reinstated, “pending further proceedings by appeals officer Harold Henderson or a determination by the Eighth Circuit Court.”

McCarthy added, “The commissioner’s exempt list permits a player and team to communicate.” McCarthy also said players on the exempt list can be traded, released or have contracts restructured after the start of the league year on March 10.

The Vikings released a statement saying they would welcome Peterson back to the team once his situation is resolved.

“Adrian Peterson is an important member of the Minnesota Vikings, and our focus remains on welcoming him back when he is able to rejoin our organization,” the statement read. “Today’s ruling leaves Adrian’s status under the control of the NFL, the NFLPA and the legal system, and we will have no further comment at this time.”

NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith said in a statement that Doty’s decision was a “victory for the rule of law, due process and fairness.”

The crux of the issue was the application of the enhanced personal conduct policy, increasing a suspension for players involved with domestic violence from two games to six games. Because that was implemented after the injuries occurred to Peterson’s son, delivered by a wooden switch that Peterson was using for discipline, the union contended that the prior standard of punishment should apply.

“Our collective bargaining agreement has rules for implementation of the personal conduct policy and when those rules are violated, our union always stands up to protect our players’ rights,” Smith said. “This is yet another example why neutral arbitration is good for our players, good for the owners and good for our game.”

Doty’s courtroom has long been a ground zero of sorts for NFL labor matters, and his ruling pattern has favored the union more often than not.

The increased penalty for domestic violence arose from the furor over the league’s handling of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, who was seen on surveillance video knocking out the woman who’s now his wife with a punch in an elevator.

Rice was initially suspended for two games before Goodell declared the ban indefinite. The arbitrator who heard Rice’s appeal, former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones, ruled that Goodell’s decision was “arbitrary” and an “abuse of discretion.”

Despite the NFL’s argument that the ruling by Jones was irrelevant to Henderson’s, Doty disagreed.

“The court finds no valid basis to distinguish this case from the Rice matter,” Doty said.

Now there’s the matter of Peterson’s future with the Vikings.

He is under contract through 2017, carrying a $15 million salary cap hit for 2015, and several high-ranking Vikings officials have said definitively they want him to return. General manager Rick Spielman said last week he expects Peterson to be back. But Peterson has expressed some uneasiness, saying in interviews he felt betrayed by the organization during the process of Goodell placing him on paid leave while the child abuse case played out in court in Texas.

There also was uncertainty as to Peterson’s future with the Vikings after his agent, Ben Dogra, had to be separated from Vikings vice president Rob Brzezinski during a heated exchange at the NFL scouting combine last week, sources have said.

The running back is scheduled to earn a base salary of $12.75 million in 2015 and count $15.4 million against the Vikings’ salary cap.

Peterson would again be the league’s highest-paid running back if he returned under his current contract, and in a December interview with ESPN, he said he didn’t believe he should take a pay cut in 2015. He added that he saw himself being a better player in 2015 after getting tackled just 21 times in 2014.

The market opens with the new league year March 10, at which time the Vikings could trade Peterson if they so decide. If they cut him, they’d owe him no more money and take only a $2.4 million hit to their salary cap.