Is the Adrian Peterson era over in Minnesota? – Sadly, enraged social liberalists and radical feminists across America like to think so as Peterson’s recent allegations regarding domestic misconduct have triggered a national debacle in the midst of the leaked footage depicting the Janay Palmer domestic altercation. The past month and a half have been vigorous and humiliating for Minnesota Vikings running back, Adrian Peterson, who was on a steady pace towards a career renaissance at the time. Just days after former Baltimore Ravens running back, Ray Rice was suspended indefinitely by NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, word of Peterson’s violent allegations was released to the masses as the renowned “Bronze Kneecap” was indicted by a Montgomery County, Texas, grand jury on charges of reckless and negligent injury to a child on September 12, 2014.
In the same vein as Ray Rice, photographs were ultimately posted on TMZ’s website revealing the deep abrasions to the legs of his 4-year-old son. The prosecution in the case alleged that Peterson used a tree branch to beat his adolescent son repeatedly on his back, buttocks, genitals, ankles, and legs after the child purposely shoved his older brother off of his bicycle sustaining minor injuries to his arms and knees. Peterson, who was widely-recognized as a family man for the majority of his career, nearly shocked the sports world, when details of his fierce allegations surfaced on every corner of social media and sports blogs around the country. The troubling news of Peterson’s child abuse accusations came nearly a year after his two-year-old son was brutally murdered on October 11, 2013, at a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, hospital due to injuries sustained during an alleged assault by Joseph Robert Patterson, the boyfriend of the child’s mother. Peterson had quickly learned about his son only a few weeks prior to his death, and had never met him due to his allegiance to and contract with the Vikings. After only playing one game of the 2014 NFL Season in a 34-6 win against the St. Louis Rams, Peterson was subsequently deactivated for one game by the Minnesota Vikings, who feared a media apocalypse was on the horizon heading into their forthcoming matchup on Sunday, September 14, 2014 against the New England Patriots. Even with Peterson absent from the team’s facility and playing field, Vikings owner, Zygi Wilf finally confirmed that the organization needed to preserve the integrity and reputation of the team by moving away from Peterson until his trial concluded. Wilf later admitted he “made a mistake” by acting later rather than sooner when it came down to eliciting Peterson’s deactivation, stating that his reasoning behind the final decision was not motivated by the pullout of key corporate sponsors, but in fact the team’s stance as it pertained to the protection and welfare of children nationwide.
In many ways, Wilf made the right call in reaction to Peterson’s savage allegations. Despite Peterson being one of the greatest players drafted by the franchise since Hall of Fame defensive end, Alan Page, the Vikings have wisely taken a page out of Vince Lombardi’s playbook in which the late Green Bay Packers tactician famously established that one player never comes before the team itself, and with that being clarified, the organization has made a very bold yet unfavorable decision undeterred by Peterson’s rare talent. Granted, the Vikings have not completely lost all their faith in Peterson as his unrivaled gift to move the rock efficiently has brought the floundering squad back to prominence in recent years.
Since his selection in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft, Peterson was destined for greatness when the Minnesota Vikings tabbed him with the seventh overall pick. Coming into the league, analysts slobbered over the former Oklahoma Sooner as he was unanimously praised for his towering height, his ability as an upright runner possessing a rare combination of speed, strength, agility, size, and vision, and his highly aggressive running style that paralleled that of former Oakland Raider running back, Marcus Allen. His rare talent as both a great breakaway and power runner often raised comparisons to past giants, including Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, O. J. Simpson, Franco Harris, and Jim Brown. Peterson’s confidence also pleased owners and scouts alike when he firmly believed he was a special kind of player that a franchise could be built around. In an interview with IGN following the 2007 NFL Draft, Peterson brazenly remarked, “I’m a player who is coming in with the determination to turn a team around. I want to help my team get to the playoffs, win…and run wild. I want to bring people to the stands. I want people to come to the game to see what I can do next. Things like that can change the whole attitude of an organization. I want to win.” He later told the Star Tribune in an interview, “I want to be the best player to ever play this game.”
Peterson was approximately 21 years-old when he made these two statements and now looking at these excerpts today in 2014 only brings sorrow and disappointment to the eyes of the Minnesota fanbase, as Peterson was one of the few valued players on the Vikings roster as the team has qualified for the postseason only three times since he joined the team. In his eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Peterson quickly transformed into an NFL star in which during the 2012 NFL Season, Peterson became the sixth fastest player to reach 8,000 rushing yards, ending the season with 2,097 rushing yards, just nine yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single season all-time record. Peterson amassed only 2,314 all-purpose yards from scrimmage in 2012, tying the aforementioned Allen for the eighth-highest total ever. For his efforts, he received the NFL MVP Award and the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award for the 2012 NFL season. Peterson also achieved the number one spot on the “NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2013.” During the 2013 season, Peterson became the third fastest player to reach 10,000 rushing yards in NFL history. But despite his glorious achievements and his raw tangibles being intact at the ripe age of 29, his recent legal allegations unfortunately may have sealed his fate in Minnesota and perhaps the NFL as we know it.
Over the past few weeks, I loudly defended Peterson despite his child abuse allegations. Based on the legal circumstances, I firmly believe Peterson was only trying to discipline his child in an attempt to encourage responsibility. Peterson, being a product of the southern United States in Palestine, Texas, the running back was born and raised in a strict Christian household where harsh forms of discipline were very common. In several interviews with ESPN, Peterson confirmed that whenever one of his siblings acted out of line, there were dire consequences to follow. While Peterson did not enjoy the punishment he was subjected to, he never regretted his parents’ Spartan regimen. He later admitted after a session with NBC sports analyst, Tony Dungy, that tough parenting made him the man he is today in which their rugged methodology inspired Peterson to be a father. In more than one way I could easily examine Peterson’s predicament and tackle crucial points which justifies his actions towards his son. I would relish the idea of supporting his style of “old school” parenting and fathering that has been slowly dismissed by progressive America due to our nation’s growing over-sensitivity and view of political correctness, however, given the new development of unrelated crimes and misdemeanors in Peterson’s lifetime, I find it extremely difficult to defend him when his personal being has reached a level of gargantuan scrutiny. With the media scratching their nails on the front door of Peterson’s home in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, reports of his inglorious past and rumored miscues have emerged from the woodwork. To add more insult to injury, on October 6, 2014, it was reported that Peterson used funds from his charity, All Day, Inc., to pay for a 2011 orgy with four women and two relatives, including his underage brother.
It would arguably be a pipe dream if Peterson managed to leap frog his child abuse case unscathed and return to TCF Bank Stadium in his sharply honed Vikings uniform. In a perfect world, the Vikings front office would proudly stand by their star athlete and support Peterson whatever the cost. Many organizations have the tendency to retain their essential components such as Peyton Manning or Tom Brady without immediately twitching at a knee-jerk decision. Peterson entering the league was a highly-touted talent who simply could not be passed up. His resurgence in 2012 following a possible career-ending injury in which Peterson tore his ACL and MCL on December 26, 2011 against the Washington Redskins was astounding simply unheard of. Had these events occurred during Peterson’s heyday in the late 2000s to early 2010s when the running back was around age 24-25, the Vikings may have gone to great lengths to support him given his unusual talent, however Peterson is on the cusp of a career conclusion especially when most NFL half backs peak at 30 years old. The Vikings have their minds locked onto the future and there is little argument in such an unequivocal outlook when general manager, Rick Spieldman landed marquee talents such as quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson in the past two years. Peterson is a giant among men, but like all great running backs, they don’t play forever and given the implications of the Vikings’ new stadium projected to break ground in 2016, it’s imaginable if Wilf and company decide to christen their marvelous arena with a fresh start. Peterson’s legal proceedings would be a major distraction to the franchise beyond 2015 especially since Super Bowl LII is expected to be hosted there in 2018.
Meanwhile, the Vikings need to seriously contemplate whether Peterson remains a risk or an investment. If the Vikings are going to keep Peterson beyond this year, they will once again have to reconsider the finances, and possibly much more. Peterson is due to make $12.75 million in 2015 as a 30 year-old running back, and despite the team’s cap space, the Vikings would have to count just $2.4 million of dead money against their salary cap if they were to release him. There’s plenty of rumbling fruitioning in league circles that the Vikings would opt to trade Peterson to a contender for future draft selections rather than release him. That in itself may be challenging, while another team would have tremendous difficulty absorbing Peterson’s monstrous contract, a problem that could be solved simply enough with an ideal extension that manages to neatly trim Peterson’s overall salary, providing him some guaranteed money and spreads the cap hit over a span of several seasons in which Peterson might never play.
Nevertheless, Peterson’s next nine months under the government’s eye could make or break his already prolific career with the Minnesota Vikings,possibly rendering one of the greatest swan songs in NFL history. It is undoubtedly the most devastating crossroads an athlete has faced in the past 30 years given the NFL’s long history regarding discipline, but where the sun meets the horizon maybe this is the right time for Peterson to take a step back from football and focus on his family and legal obligations. There is no debate that these lingering grievance files have clouded what may be his final years in the NFL, it may permanently seal Peterson’s closing window of playing time as 2015 inches closer. Although his reputation and rectitude have been tarnished by these startling accusations, Peterson has the ability and quite perhaps the chance to hang up his jersey while there’s still time. Detroit Lions running back, Barry Sanders, walked away from the game early in 1998 during his prime at his own cost, and despite the losing culture embraced by his former team, he has been applauded since for his early retirement. Maybe Peterson should quit if his tenure continues to remain gloomy. Sanders left football healthy and humble for what he accomplished, and while he had plenty of gameplay in the tank, he later admitted that the declining quality of the Lions robbed him of his competitive spirit after the organization released his close friend, Kevin Glover due to salary cap reasons. While Sanders never saw himself on the other side of the law, Peterson has the opportunity to salvage a successful career without tarnishing his legacy by stepping away.
Peterson is in a rare position where he can save his magnificent career simply by filing for retirement because not only does that allow him to focus on the urgency of his family needs but also redeems his free falling personality. Peterson will always be known by his moniker “All Day,” but, in times of great difficulty, the running back must understand that a step in the right direction is stepping away itself.
Drew Mattiola is a third-year student majoring in communication studies. He can be reached at RM814408@wcupa.edu.