The Minnesota Vikings have announced that they have reinstated running back Adrian Peterson and have revealed that he is expected to play against the New Orleans Saints this week.

Peterson was deactivated from the team for their match with the New England Patriots on Sunday, in the aftermath of his indictment for child abuse from an incident involving his son in May.

Vikings owners Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf said in a statement: "Today's decision was made after significant thought, discussion and consideration. As evidenced by our decision to deactivate Adrian from yesterday's game, this is clearly a very important issue.

"On Friday, we felt it was in the best interests of the organisation to step back, evaluate the situation, and not rush to judgment given the seriousness of this matter. At that time, we made the decision that we felt was best for the Vikings and all parties involved."

The Wilfs have admitted that the situation is very serious, but are willing to let the legal process take its course before making any further decisions.

They added: "To be clear, we take very seriously any matter that involves the welfare of a child. At this time, however, we believe this is a matter of due process and we should allow the legal system to proceed so we can come to the most effective conclusions and then determine the appropriate course of action.

"This is a difficult path to navigate, and our focus is on doing the right thing. Currently we believe we are at a juncture where the most appropriate next step is to allow the judicial process to move forward."

Peterson also issued an apology to his son, the club and its supporters on Monday.