Jared Allen thinks Adrian Peterson should be allowed to play in the NFL

Adrian Peterson's legal issues are behind him after pleading no contest to misdemeanor child-abuse charges, but his NFL future remains up in the air. His reinstatement hearing with the league is set for Monday, one day after the Vikings face the desperate-for-something-other-than-a-blowout Bears, an outfit that has allowed 106 points in its last two games.

Peterson's former teammate, defensive end Jared Allen, is now with the Bears and he thinks the running back deserves another chance to play in the NFL.

“The Adrian I know was always a kind-hearted, gentle, very generous human being,” Allen said, via the Chicago Sun-Times' Patrick Finley. “Obviously he made a mistake. I just pray that him and his family and his son and everybody that's going through it, I hope everybody learns it, they can heal their wounds.

“He's obviously had to deal with the punishment. Do I think his football career should be ended over it? No. Do I hope he learned a valuable lesson and do I think he did? Yeah. Obviously you go through stuff, you face the consequences."

And what about the timing of the punishment and possible reinstatement?

“If he happens to come back the week after we play him -- awesome,” Allen said.

The Vikings, who are 4-5 and three games behind the Lions in the division (and a game up on the Bears), could use Peterson. The offense ranked 29th overall, according to Football Outsiders, primarily due to a 31st-ranked passing attack. Growing pains for rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater were to be expected, but having Peterson alongside him in the backfield would only make his job easier.