EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — Cris Carter is back in Minnesota for the first time since his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Walking the halls at Vikings headquarters, he says that without the team’s help in curtailing his drinking and helping him recover from a cocaine addiction, he never would have been in a position to join the Hall. Carter was claimed on waivers after being cut by Philadelphia in 1990.

He says team owners challenged him to give up drinking and rededicate himself to the game and to his life. Carter choked up several times on Thursday while reminiscing about his time with the Vikings.

He also says it was a relief to be elected after being denied for five years.

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