Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had successful surgery that revealed no damage beyond a torn meniscus.
“Adrian Peterson had a successful lateral meniscus repair this morning,” the Vikings announced today. “The surgery was performed by team physician Chris Larson at Twin Cities Orthopedics. There were no additional injuries or issues noted in or surrounding the knee joint during the surgical procedure. The rehabilitation process will begin immediately.”
ESPN reported on Wednesday that Peterson had a torn lateral collateral ligament in addition to his torn meniscus, but the Vikings’ statement makes clear that the meniscus is the only injury.
The Vikings have not said whether Peterson can play again this season, but reports are that Peterson will miss at least three months and likely longer than that, which makes a return in 2016 unlikely. In fact, a return to the Vikings at any point is looking less and less likely. There’s a good chance that the next time we see Peterson on the football field, it will be in 2017, and in another team’s uniform.
