Adrian Peterson is on the Commissioner’s Exempt List.
Credit: Reuters
Much to the delight of Roger Goodell, the national media has mostly turned away from the NFL and its controversies as the calendar has flipped to October.
Things have been quiet when it comes to running back Adrian Peterson, who is currently on the “Commissioner’s Exempt List” after he was indicted on charges that he abused his 4-year-old son. Here is what Peterson has been up to lately as he awaits an Oct. 8 court date:
His charitable website alldayfoundation.org has changed its message on its main page from, “The Foundation will reengage after Adrian, his family, and staff have reflected on how the current situation impacts the direction for Adrian’s philanthropy,” to this:
Sept. 28: Sent text messages to Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, who relayed Peterson’s message to his teammates. Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater told TwinCities.com:
“The words that Adrian texted Coach Zimmer, it was very deep. One thing that I took away from that message was, play each down like it’s your last because you never know when it’s going to be your last opportunity. I think the guys got that message pretty well. We went out, we fought. It was just a great overall team effort.”
Sept. 27:
Sept. 19:
Sept. 17:
Peterson has obviously put himself out there since being indicted. We’ll certainly know more about his situation after his court date next Wednesday, but there’s little reason to believe that he’ll be strapping up the pads in Minnesota again this year. Even if things were to go well in court next week, one would expect his paid leave status to remain the same or for the NFL to suspend him indefinitely. The league would obviously be hammered in the court of public opinion if Peterson were to carry a football on a Sunday in the next three months with temperatures still warm.
Follow Metro Boston sports editor Matt Burke on Twitter: @BurkeMetroBOS
