After spending a week in Mankato at training camp, I’ve seen a lot of Adrian Peterson. No personal interactions, but just observing him on the field, off the field, hanging out with teammates.
I’ve come to decide that he needs (deserves?) a second chance.
Remember earlier this year? I was ready to send Peterson packing. I had no interest in him playing for the Vikings again, and I wanted nothing more than to see him traded to just be done with all the drama.
When the very first report of the abuse incident came out, I had mixed feelings about the situation. I really felt there was a lot of truth to the idea that Peterson didn’t know a whole lot better, that he didn’t have cruel intentions. That it was a cultural/geographical difference in socially acceptable discipline. But still, he did hurt a child and didn’t use much self control.
I continued to “stick up” for AP, but then came the hearsay, the trade talks, the Twitter rant and of course the pot-before-a-court-hearing incident. At that point, I found myself completely fed up. All I could see was Peterson identifying himself as the victim and making poor decisions to back himself farther and farther into a hole.
I haven’t necessarily changed my mind about all of the above; he messed up, and in more ways than one. But in seeing him interact with family, teammates and fans at training camp, I am reminded of his good qualities that–I believe–are genuine.
Peterson’s wife and son Adrian Jr. visited a couple of practices, and watching him interact with his family was nothing short of endearing. (And yes, they visited camp last year as well). Peterson signed autographs for fans after almost every practice; on Friday, I witnessed him politely ask a security guard to let a group of kids approach him. At one point he took a cell phone from a fan to say “hey, what’s up? This is Adrian Peterson” to the fan’s brother on the other end.
Is this a publicity stunt? It could be. In fact, I’m sure part of it is very intentional on the part of the team, in an attempt to rebuild Peterson’s public image. But it’s nearly impossible for me to believe that Peterson is faking the cheerfulness and interactions.
His teammates couldn’t be happier to have him back on the team. Of course, as with the fans, I’m sure it’s partially because Peterson immediately improves their chances of winning. But again, you can’t deny the friendships and respect there. In April, one player told me that AP’s teammates badly hoped he would stay in Minnesota. In Mankato I talked with running back Matt Asiata, who called Peterson “a close friend” and someone he couldn’t wait to play with again.
If I know one thing, it’s that Peterson loves football. I’m also confident he loves his family and, believe it or not, he seems to love the Minnesota Vikings.
Did Peterson make a mistake? Or two? Or three? Absolutely. But he did receive the consequences, and it’s a new year. Am I saying this as a Viking fan who’s witnessed Peterson have a great camp? Maybe, yeah. But I’m also writing as someone who wants to see a person get another chance.
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Thanks Lindsey, this was a really good read. It struck a chord with this reader. So now I am writing a letter that nobody will read through.
TL;DR --> I am very conflicted about Adrian and that's okay, because most everybody else is. So can we PLEASE put down the sabers and the soapboxes and be a fanbase again? We can do that, even if we disagree with our fellow Vikings fans on Adrian, right? Right! (I hope.)
Dear Vikings fans,
I understand why people are diametrically opposed to anything that has to do with Adrian Peterson. I can see why maybe they align themselves with the absolutist statement: "child abuse is unforgivable, period."
I guess that I can also understand why some hold the the blatant apologist standpoint. "So what? MY dad hit ME with a belt/switch/open palm when I was a kid, and I turned out alright!" I don't personally ascribe myself to this logic, but I can see why some can.
Unfortunately, I think that those two extremes have dominated the conversation on AD for almost all of the past 11 months. I think that _most_ who have been following the protracted conversation believe that "the" truth (or, the point on that continuum where they can balance their distaste of the action with their moral disposition towards punishment, redemption, apology, and, I guess, football) lies somewhere in the middle. There's a vast gray area between "Should've let him play against the Patriots!" and "Outta tha league and burned at the sate!" and there's a lot of room for spirited debate WITHIN that gray area. I don't see, however, that the arguments in the mainstream have really LOOKED at the gray area enough.
Maybe it's reasonable to say, "Adrian did not know the harm he was inflicting."
Maybe "Adrian emulated his upbringing," is a big part of the story.
Maybe "Adrian played the victim for far too long," really feels right to say.
Maybe it is the truth that, "Adrian grew up in an educational culture that never dared to put social issues above star athletes, and hopped from that culture into a football culture that did precisely the same."
Maybe "Adrian knew what he did was wrong," is the truth and is somewhat evident in the text conversation he had with his son's mother.
Maybe "Adrian doesn't get a free pass just because he's a bit of a dolt. He should have known that his actions were wrong regardless," should be a big part of the conversation.
Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe.
Maybe it's time that we get off of our tall Minnesotan horses and start actively thinking that what's done is done, and that in the end, Adrian did something bad and been punished in more ways than one; he had direct and indirect punishment, and he did not handle all of it well; he apologized and it seemed sincere, though it might have been late; he says that he has changed his parenting habits, and his therapist has apparently agreed; he annoyed us all by being a football player when there was another issue on the screen, and so we might dislike his contract extension because it seemed crass and also Ben Dogra is a bonafide fart.
There are a million ways to crumble that cookie. And as Vikings fans, we're going to hold a million different viewpoints on it. And we need to accept that, I think. The final resting spot of most complex issues is almost always a shard-heap of hair-splitting
Adrian might make you so sick that you can't cheer for the Vikings anymore.
Or his punishment and public disgrace, you think, have changed him and granted him a second chance.
Perhaps you'll cheer when he scores, but you'll just cheer because it's the Vikings.
His jersey might be on sale and you might buy it, and then not wear it for like 6 years.
Maybe your arms are wide open and you Just Want Him Back.
Time might've been a balm to a lot of the negative thoughts you had last September.
Me? I canceled my Peterson jersey order--it was my birthday present to myself and it had not shipped yet. Instead, I spent the money fixing my bike and buying a pair of shoes that Master Tesfatsion would probably hate. I also decided I'd never turn an athlete into a hero or an idol again. I think #28 deserves and earned a second chance, but I am honestly not sure how easily I can give it to him.
However you choose to see it, Adrian Peterson averaged 3.6 yards per carry last year with zero TDs. This year, he will almost assuredly far exceed that output. And your friends and fellow fans will have a lot of differing ways of seeing Adrian, football, and your Minnesota Vikings. We're not going to change each others' minds by spewing vitriol and self-righteous moralizing at our fellow fans.
ACCEPT that you're probably holding a minority opinion on one point in the matter, and that IT IS OKAY that others disagree with you on portions or the entirety of our yearlong debate. But yelling at one another is a titanic waste of energy. It's divisive, it's churlish, officious, it spins the proverbial tires in the mud, and it makes this lifelong Vikings fan want to hide under a dirty snowbank.
So? So, let's be Vikings fans TOGETHER. Let's be free to express our views on Peterson this way or that, if we so choose, without it being an invitation for a Sharknado of epithets. Let's grab a few cold ones on Sunday and get our hearts racing when Zimmer's team hits the field.
Skol,
Logan, fan since birth.
Thanks for this comment, Logan! It's really well thought-out, and I appreciate all the different perspectives, too.
Great comment Logan. Couple of quick responses.
First, what shoes would Master not like? I'm out of the loop on this one.
Second, my wife and I just got done watching some TED talks on mental illness and the psychology of evil, and it's a really interesting backdrop for this post and your comment for me. We have a person who is reinforced for being singularly focused on overcoming corporal punishment - and even dishing it out - and universally lauded for his mental toughness in pushing through adversity in Adrian Peterson. That's one possible viewpoint. We have a system that exploits young men and their physical health to make a crap ton of money, and yes, relative to the rest of us they get paid a lot, but what matters is that they produce otherwise we will cut them. We overlook spousal abuse, drug abuse, cheating, DUIs, and who knows what else. That's another possible way of looking at it.
I'm in the camp that child abuse is inexcusable, but after a year I've found that the overriding emotion that AD draws out of me is one of pity. I feel a dull anger for his son, but a bigger sense of pity for that family - for what to me seems like lunacy but is apparently the best anyone in that family knows how to do.
i don't know. The whole thing is tragic. I hope as a society we can advance ourselves to the point that we can help our friends and neighbors be better so that no family has to suffer through this. I guess in that way I do see AD as a victim.
Just my opinion.
Thanks for the reply:)
I buy running shoes. They're not stylish and they're not by Nike or Jordan, which seem to be Master's wheelhouse. I'm not $$$ enough to apply fashion sense to footwear. Someday.
My perspective on how the conversation should advance is essentially that as a fanbase we will have a large spectrum of views on what the severity of AD's transgression is. We'll also have a wide range of views on how much blame to place on him, how severe his punishment should be, and how severe his punishment actually turned out to be. As a result, we're going to be a fractured fanbase if we yawp our opinions across rooftops without any give-and-take, simply to assuage our misgivings. The best way to move forward is to accept and acknowledge that we're not going to be in lockstep on this and try to find a constructive way forward.
I don't know if I'm comfortable psychoanalyzing Peterson in any dispositive or determinative way. I think there's a lot to be inferred when we think of the way that evil acts on someone. I also think that there's loads to be said about what led up to "this" in terms of his socioeconomic upbringing, ego, and education.
(I say "this" because we're generally talking about one incident, but what we saw was honestly probably the tip of the ice berg. Both in Adrian's household/s and in the US, widely speaking.)
There's a league that for decades did a lot to keep the bad behavior of its players from seeing the light of day. That same league was also probably still trying to over-correct for that behavior by pillorying Ray Rice after Ray Rice made it blatantly clear how bad the NFL really was at this whole thing, so Adrian's saga might have been different had it come to fruition earlier or later.
When you say that pity is the overriding emotion, I understand that. I pity the victims, and in a way, I pity the perpetrators for being so small-minded. It's personally my hope that this whole thing put child abuse, corporal punishment, and family life into a more prominent place in our national psyche. I hope that it created the energy for broader change. But that change'll be in fits and starts...because it's a big problem and it's well-engrained in some parts and pieces of the country. Maybe the biggest factor that led to it was the dull, banal, everyday act of turning a blind eye to the issue. Both within Peterson's family, and in thousands/millions of other households.
Skol and I hope I answered your question.
Bashing everything AD was the en vogue thing to do with the media and bloggers.
Some still are having a hard time with it, just check out a "fickle" tweet the other day by a St. Paul newspaper reporter....
In my opinion this got blown way out of proportion and everyone jumped on for the ride....
But I am glad to see the powers that be who actually know the man, stood by him the whole time while this mess played out.
It will be a fun season to watch and if you are having troubles with AD still on the team I am afraid you won't be enjoying Vikings football this season because he will be front and center...
Go Vikes!!!!
Good comments. Good read Lindsey....all I know is when you point the finger, you have 3 pointing back at yourself. Something like that. It's simple to me, Peterson screwed up. He paid the price. I've needed 2nd and 3rd chances a few times in my life.
As for being a Viking fan....today is Mick's day! Congrats old number 53, waaaaay past due! Well deserved. If all the players on this team play his heart, we'll win the whole thing!
:)
And now we can really put the pedal to the metal because ready or not, football is here! Begin: Healing Process Phase #5!!