Peterson plea deal...

[mmvikes]

Actually, he's made it clear that he understands why the Vikings acted to protect their brand and organization. His beef seems to be with specific individuals in the organization. At this point, that seems to be Warren and... ? We don't have details. For all we know, some members of the Vikings did indeed "do him wrong".
People keep bringing up that he was paid while on the list but the Vikings had no choice but to either pay him or cut him. In other words, unless they were prepared to release him and get nothing in return, paying him wasn't an act of generosity. The Vikings were likely just protecting their own interests.

Peterson wanted to play. It was obviously better to be paid than to not be paid but he still missed almost an entire season of his career in his prime.

Well, they could have just let Rodger suspend Adrian couldn't they.

[VikingLord]

I think he'll probably end up playing for the Vikings too but I wouldn't characterize a willingness to be traded as dumb. I don't know if Peterson is genuinely interested in that possibility or not but if he is, and if his family's wishes are a part of that willingness to be traded, I wouldn't say he's being dumb. He might not stand to lose as much money as people think either. If I'm not mistaken, none of the money on his contract is guaranteed after this season. IF he was traded, he might have to take less money to play in 2015 but he might be able to negotiate a multi-year deal that would pay him as much or more guaranteed money as he stands to make now.

OK, "dumb" might be too strong a characterization. How about "not smart"?

Your point about guaranteed money is valid, of course. Some other team could sign him to a 3 year contract for, say, $10 million guaranteed and he'd be coming in pretty close to what he's going to earn this upcoming season with the Vikings. Heck, he might even be able to wrangle a guaranteed deal on the order of what the Seahawks offered Marshawn. I just don't see that as very likely. What he has with the Vikings is known, and even he admits the majority of people in the organization and fans seem supportive. So if he's going to let his feelings about a few unspecified people override the known benefits of suiting back up for the Vikings, like I said, more power to him. Spielman just better get compensated appropriately.

[Mothman]

Well, they could have just let Rodger suspend Adrian couldn't they.

I don't think that changes the fact that they they were looking out for their own interests.

[Mothman]

OK, "dumb" might be too strong a characterization. How about "not smart"?

My point is that it's not really a question of intelligence. He has a family that may not want to be in Minnesota anymore. That's a serious consideration for a husband/father. He'll get paid well wherever he plays and he's already made a fortune. Heck, I don't want him to play for another team but if he does, maybe he'd find himself on a Super Bowl contender.

If he decides he wants out and gets himself traded to Oakland... that might be dumb.

[MDviking]

People keep bringing up that he was paid while on the list but the Vikings had no choice but to either pay him or cut him. In other words, unless they were prepared to release him and get nothing in return, paying him wasn't an act of generosity. The Vikings were likely just protecting their own interests.

Peterson wanted to play. It was obviously better to be paid than to not be paid but he still missed almost an entire season of his career in his prime.

That's not entirely true.

Under the CBA, a franchise can suspend a player without pay for up to four games for conduct detrimental to the team, but not longer.

Not trying to nitpick, but they did have the option to sit him without pay for a month. I really do feel that at the time it was a positive gesture to Peterson, a "Hey, we want you to play- we even tried to get you back on the field, but we need to placate our sponsors so here's this "exempt list."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/spor ... d-be-next/

[Mothman]

Not trying to nitpick, but they did have the option to sit him without pay for a month.

That's true and I realize that. I just don't want to have to list every single possibility every time this comes up. If they had suspended him for a month, then they still would have had to pay him when he returned...

... unless, of course, the league had then immediately suspended him following the team's suspension.

I really do feel that at the time it was a positive gesture to Peterson, a "Hey, we want you to play- we even tried to get you back on the field, but we need to placate our sponsors so here's this "exempt list."

I think they acted in their own self-interest and at the suggestion of the league, who helpfully pointed out the possibility of placing Peterson on the exempt list in the first place.

[DK Sweets]

This thread has become my comic relief. I get that it's the offseason, but some people have demonstrated that they have no chill.

Like for real, how many times are we going to say that Adrian is some big dumb oaf incapable of complex thought? The amount of emotion flowing through this thread is really astonishing to me.

[PurpleMustReign]

This thread has become my comic relief. I get that it's the offseason, but some people have demonstrated that they have no chill.

Like for real, how many times are we going to say that Adrian is some big dumb oaf incapable of complex thought? The amount of emotion flowing through this thread is really astonishing to me.

I know... We get it, you think he isn't smart. You don't have to say it every 5 posts.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Laserman]

just trade him to dallas for Demarco Murray and two offensive linemen and be done with it.

[PurpleMustReign]

just trade him to dallas for Demarco Murray and two offensive linemen and be done with it.

Murray is a FREE AGENT... He isn't on Dallas anymore!!! People who suggest this don't pay attention.

And what on earth makes you think Dallas would give us two Offensive Linemen for AD? Holy cow.

[Angels Wings]

Actually, he's made it clear that he understands why the Vikings acted to protect their brand and organization. His beef seems to be with specific individuals in the organization. At this point, that seems to be Warren and... ? We don't have details. For all we know, some members of the Vikings did indeed "do him wrong".

But then he turns around and says that he felt blindsided by the organization after saying weeks earlier that he wanted to remain a Viking.

People keep bringing up that he was paid while on the list but the Vikings had no choice but to either pay him or cut him. In other words, unless they were prepared to release him and get nothing in return, paying him wasn't an act of generosity. The Vikings were likely just protecting their own interests.

Peterson wanted to play. It was obviously better to be paid than to not be paid but he still missed almost an entire season of his career in his prime.

That's understandable but he was the one that put himself in the predicament he found himself in. It would have been impossible to keep him on the field during and after the fact and not face backlash. The Vikings though, never made an attempt to try and get him back on the field afterwards though. Hopefully come April, they can at least clear the air between the two sides.

[DK Sweets]

I know... We get it, you think he isn't smart. You don't have to say it every 5 posts.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Wait, are you backing me up or did you not realize that I wasn't actually saying he's stupid?

For the record either way, I think the people attacking his intelligence are completely out of line...but I get it. It's easier to say somebody is stupid because of their decisions than to try and understand a complex personality.

I think people get frustrated because his self control is what is easiest to attack (fathering children to multiple women, speeding, and, ya know, excessive force on his child) but he's also one of the most dedicated workers in any sports league. How do you reconcile that? Easy: you say he's stupid. Somebody with this much potential wouldn't make bad decisions unless they were stupid. Never mind the great things he has done or the good decisions he has made in the past. That makes the situation messy. That doesn't fit into our normal lifestyles where the answers to everything can be found by picking up your phone.

What we really want is to have our theories and try to rationalize why he has responded to different situations in different ways. We all want to try to decide if he's a good person or not. But in the end, none of us have nearly enough insight into his life to ever truly grasp why Adrian Peterson is Adrian Peterson. It's a fruitless exercise to invest so much emotion into trying to understand anyone, especially somebody you have never met.

Basically, "he's stupid" seems to me like the easy way some people have chosen to deal with this. After six months of trying to understand why things have gone the way they have, attacking his intelligence just seems like the easiest option.

[The Breeze]

I think DK makes some good points, as per usual.
I believe what helps makes it so difficult to reconcile is that Adrian grew up and has lived in a culture much different than one encounters in the mid-west. A lot of people, both ways ,are not taking that it to large enough account. On top of it is his superstar celebrity status which adds a whole different layer of seperation and speculation beyond commonality. I literaly have no idea what it's like to walk in that dudes shoes, where he's come from and what's molded him.
Many fans and objective observers can't get their heads around the choices he's made while he's had trouble understanding the apogee of outrage against his character.

I know that I've never heard of anyone that knows him say anything ill about him.......even the people involved in this incident.

I think Rodger Goodell is a richard......but I don't know him either.

I still would rather have a beer with Farley,, although Peterson would make one heck of a wing man.

[S197]

When did he have a drug use issue?

Didn't he test positive while suspended/during court?

[DK Sweets]

Didn't he test positive while suspended/during court?

He allegedly admitted to smoking "a little weed". It's very unlikely that he tested positive or there would have been consequences/media reports.