VikingsMessageBoard.com, which has been in existence since at least 2005, has shuttered its virtual doors for good.

Not surprisingly, this has everything  to do with running back Adrian Peterson, who was released Saturday on $15,000 bond following his arrest for "reckless or negligent injury to a child."  Specifically: beating his four-year-old son with a switch, leaving welts and bruises behind.

The Vikings announced Monday that Peterson would return to practice with the team and play this Sunday.

"Vikings Message Board has been shut down permanently. It will not return. There are two primary reasons.

"1. The Vikings cowardly decision to reinstate a child abuser and think that an apology will make this blow over. We will not stand for this arrogance and we will no longer be the home of any support of the Vikings. We stand for those who cannot defend themselves.

"2. We will not give a voice to thugs who think child abuse is "cultural" or worse, openly advocate child abuse as a reasonable method of punishment. This ends here. Yes, a few board members have ruined it for everyone. Congratulations, a--holes."

On Tuesday, one of the moderators of VikingsMessageBoard.com reached out to CBSSports.com to share his side of the story. Namely, that while the removal of the board may have been rooted in principle, it wasn't a stand most of the members of the board was behind. Rather, it was the work of one administrator, who happened to have the keys to the kindgom. Via Jim Nelson: 

I was a moderator on the Vikings Message Board and I'm writing because I feel the need to set the record straight about the shutdown of vikingsmessageboard.com.

 

There are now numerous news reports around the web regarding the sudden demise of that community and the statement that accompanied it. Most of those reports understandably make the assumption that a large group of fans chose to make this move in protest. I use the word "understandably" because the administrator who shut the board down used the word "we" in the strongly worded statement he temporarily posted at the board's address. However, that statement, and the choice to shut down a forum that was over a decade old, was not the decision of a large group of devoted Vikings fans. All indications are that it was the decision of one individual, who closed down a community that had varying views and opinions and then decided to speak for its members without asking for their blessing or permission.

 

There was a great deal of outrage in that community over the ongoing Adrian Peterson story but there was no single unified view on it. There were many different views, some extreme, some quite intelligent, insightful and nuanced.

 

There are certainly more significant issues than the demise of a message board but because this story has been widely reported as the act of a large group of outraged fans, I thought the record should be set straight.


On Monday evening, a KHOU report alleged that Peterson was being investigated for a second child-abuse case, this time against another son, who is also four years old.