Minnesota Vikings suffer at the hands of Adrian Peterson

By Dan Salem | Feb 25, 2015

The Minnesota Vikings are suffering at the hands of Adrian Peterson. Its not just business anymore, but is their ‘situation’ so black and white? All sides disagree as NFL sports debate erupts. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

TODD:

According to a report by Jason La Confora of CBS Sports, Adrian Peterson‘s agent got into a bit of a tiff with Vikings brass in defense of his client.

The agent reportedly had to be separated from Minnesota’s vice president of football operation Rob Brzezinski and told the team Peterson would never play for them again. Peterson himself has come out expressing his dismay over how the Vikings treated him, saying he is uneasy about returning.

Am I misremembering or didn’t Peterson get suspended after being arrested for beating his kid?

Shouldn’t he and his agent be returning to Minnesota apologizing and begging the city for forgiveness? Where was Peterson victimized here? How does he get the audacity to attempt to turn this around on the organization and place the blame on it?

Because of his remaining talent and skill level, Peterson was obviously going to be given another chance in the league. We all knew this last season during the indefinite suspension. This hasn’t changed.

But while it previously seemed as though the Vikings may have accepted him back, that now seems to be an unlikely outcome. Which means Minnesota got screwed here. The only step it took in this entire episode was to have the league put their running back on the exempt list. And now, because of that, they will be (sort of) forced to release arguably the best player at his position in the NFL.

Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone loves to say the league is a business. This is not completely the case. If it was, Peterson would return to the team because he is its best option to play the running back position.

But this isn’t just a business. And for once a franchise actually suffers the consequences of being human.

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DAN:

We are on complete opposite sides of this argument, both in regards to how the Vikings treated Adrian Peterson, their “suffering” as an organization, and your assumption that the Vikings are the victims here.

There is only one actual victim in this entire situation, Peterson’s family. They got humiliated. His son got humiliated twice, first by his own father and then by the news media. There are no winners after that.

I will not judge a person for the way they raise their children. I completely disagree with the reported manner in which Adrian treated his son, but all I have are media reports. They felt blown out of proportion, probably because of the other assaults floating through the NFL. I understand children were involved and this was wrong, but setting aside what Peterson did or did not actually do, I do not recall his team, the Minnesota Vikings, every coming to his defense.

Outside of one season with Brett Favre, the Vikings would be completely forgettable over the last five-plus seasons if it were not for Adrian Peterson. They owe him a lot more than the money remaining on his contract. He’s earned that paycheck from Minnesota and their hat in his corner. So when the country railed against their superstar player, a man known for his Viking purple, did they stand by his side? Did they believe him and his story?

Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The answer, based solely on Peterson’s current situation with his team, is no. He feels scorned by the organization that he gave so much to. I can only imagine it’s because of what did not transpire on his behalf. But as you noted, the NFL is a business, and that was just good business.

You know what else is now good business? The Vikings skipping out on the final three high-priced years of their running back’s career. That team needs A LOT of help. The money owed to Peterson would go a long way towards rebuilding the franchise.

Adrian Peterson leaving Minnesota is also good business. A fresh start, wiping the slate clean, is the best thing for his image. With only a few seasons left to win a Super Bowl and win back fans, Peterson can not afford to wallow in the shadow that Minnesota through over him.

So who is the mastermind in all of this? Is it Peterson, his agent, or the Viking’s front office? It doesn’t matter. Both sides are positioning themselves for an ugly breakup. Both sides stand to gain from such breakup.

Sure, the Vikings have little left without Adrian, but come on. They were not a Super Bowl contender with him. They need all the monetary flexibility they can get to build a real winner.

TODD:

That’s all well and good, but there are no “sides” or stories to consider here. Factually, Peterson pleaded no contest to reckless assault, avoiding jail time and a verdict of felony child abuse.

Although, I grant you, the Vikings were fine with the indefinite suspension as the proceedings played out rather than waiting until afterward as would normally happen in non-NFL society.

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