MINNEAPOLIS — Adrian Peterson says he realizes moving on from the Minnesota Vikings might be best for both him and the team.

In an interview published Thursday by USA Today, Peterson said he believes the coaches and players on the team are fully behind him but that feelings in the organization toward him are mixed after he was charged with felony child abuse in Texas for using a wooden switch to discipline his 4-year-old son.

He pleaded no contest Nov. 4 to misdemeanor reckless assault.

“I know who loves me. The coaches and the players, it’s not going to be a problem. I’ve felt so much support from those guys. The organization, I know there’s people in the organization that support me and there’s people that I know internally that has not been supporting me,” Peterson told the newspaper. He said he has given a lot of thought to the idea that “maybe it’s best for me to get a fresh start somewhere else.”

“I would love to go back and play in Minnesota to get a feel and just see if my family still feels comfortable there,” he told USA Today. “But if there’s word out that, hey, they might release me, then so be it.”