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Adrian Peterson's latest complaints again prove he doesn't get it
By
Jeff Diamond Contributor
@jeffdiamondNFL
Published on Jun. 28, 2016 | Updated on Jun. 29, 2016
The idiotic sports comment of the past week belonged to one of the most obtuse and self-absorbed athletes of recent years — Adrian Peterson.
The Vikings running back said in an ESPN interview that he may quit playing pro football early because he doesn't like the NFL offseason and training camp schedules.
"Training camp, going through the grind, OTAs and all that — that will definitely be the deciding factor," Peterson said. "Physically, I'll be good. It's just mentally. It's so repetitive that it's more suited to the young guys. It gets kind of boring."
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Peterson adds that he gets tired from all of the practices, workouts and meetings.
Poor Adrian. Let's all feel sorry for a player being paid $12 million this year to not only play in the regular season but also prepare for the upcoming season through the OTAs and training camp sessions of which he's complaining — or shall I say whining. Oh, by the way, $250,000 of his compensation is in a workout bonus for participation in the Vikings offseason program.
Think the guys working construction jobs in the summer heat or people working at fast food restaurants for minimum wage would consider it a burden to run around on a practice field in no pads at OTAs? Or lift weights and prepare for the season ahead in training camp while being paid millions of dollars?
This is another example of how Peterson just doesn't get it. He never truly understood the public outrage at his child abuse incident that caused him to miss the 2014 season. He said he was just disciplining his 4-year-old son with the same type of punishment he took as a kid.
Adrian didn't quite get that times have changed and it just wasn't publicly acceptable to beat a young boy with a switch to the point where there were bruises all over his body. Why the outrage and why are my sponsors dropping me and why is the NFL suspending me? These are the questions Adrian asked before finally saying that his actions were over the top and he only said that while under pressure from the league, his team and his sponsors (and surely with the coaxing of his PR and marketing reps).
There have been other knocks on Peterson's off-field image, such as allegations in recent years of improprieties involving his charity, the All Day Foundation, and other behavioral questions dating back to his days at Oklahoma that paint a picture of an entitled athlete.
Now we have these comments about offseason and preseason workouts/practices. Has Peterson forgotten that the offseason and training camp rules were significantly loosened in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, so that the offseason program is shorter and players rarely wear full pads in practice — including during the regular season?
When I first started working in the NFL in the 1970's, training camps lasted six weeks with two-a-day practices virtually on a daily basis. There were six preseason games. I guarantee you that retired NFL players who worked through that grinding schedule would scoff at Peterson and not be sympathetic to his concerns.
Peterson's attitude is an insult to fans, former players and current players who understand that this offseason and training camp prep work is part of the job description. And it's extra insulting to come from a player who has not had a preseason carry in the last several years as the Vikings coaches protect their star from injury.
If you've ever watched an OTA session or a training camp practice, you've seen that with 90 players on the roster, there is plenty of standing around by starters. Repetitions are doled out to players competing to make the final roster. Peterson may be bored, but he's not overworked.
If I was Peterson's agent or somebody in Vikings upper management, such as GM Rick Spielman, I would sit Peterson down for a little PR 101 and tell him to stop making ridiculous, self-serving statements. This is something I did with players on a few occasions during my years as a team president and general manager. Fortunately, I didn't have to do it often as the vast majority of players appreciate how fortunate they are to make a great living playing NFL football.
It's a shame that the seven time Pro Bowler and three-time league rushing champ continues to tarnish his image and legacy with his lapses in judgment and poorly thought out comments. He's at an age (31) when most running backs hit the wall in terms of career longevity and in today's quarterback driven NFL, expensive running backs are invariably potential cap casualties. But we're talking about a rare athlete who pushed himself so hard that he came back from a late December torn ACL injury in 2011 to not only lead the NFL in rushing the following season, but come within nine yards of breaking Eric Dickerson's single season record (finishing with 2,097 rushing yards).
And he is the reigning rushing champ, coming off 1,485 yards last season.
Considering Peterson's obviously large ego, it is highly doubtful he would retire prematurely and pass on the opportunity to continue his climb up the NFL career rushing list. He currently stands at No. 17 with 11,675 yards and he is only 605 yards shy of moving into the top 10, which is likely a sure-fire ticket to the Hall of Fame. He's more likely to try to hang around long enough to take a run at the top spot held by Emmitt Smith (18,358 yards).
The focus should be on Peterson's quest to lead his Vikings to their first Super Bowl in 40 years, which would fuel his rise in the career rushing rankings, and not on his self-absorbed commentary or his off the field mistakes. As the old saying goes, he needs to shut up and play.