Peterson plea deal...

[chicagopurple]

Moth...how you can label anything I said as "hyperbole" when you look at those pictures, when you hear the idiocy of APs comments, and when you read national op-eds outside the fishbowl of the Vike Fan community, is beyond me. The world outside MN has no real concern over the treatment of AP. He was put up on a pedestal (rightly so as the RB of the decade) and then crashed off of it in the most dramatic, offensive way possible. Again, this is ALL AP's doing and to spend most of our efforts at being "disgusted" by how the League/Vikings try to deal with it is absurd. The real disgust should be with the fool who created this mess.....AP.........

[TSonn]

Chicago -

No one is arguing that AD didn't make an egregious mistake. Some people are just looking at the past history of penalities for first-time misdemeanors and seeing that AD's punishment doesn't fit. Some people are looking at the way the NFL administration has handled this situation and they see the issues with it. Some people are looking at how soon this situation occurred after the Ray Rice situation and are wondering how much the other non-related situation impacted AD's situation. Some people also are reading the quotes from Goodell in which he states things about AD that never happened. Some people are also understanding that Goodell is his own appeals hearing officer and that doesn't sit right with some people (and not just for AD's situation).

So, there's definitely an issue with how AD disciplined his child. But there's also many other issues surrounding this situation in regards to Roger Goodell, the NFL discipline process, and the NFL administration that deserve discourse.

[fiestavike]

I understand that to Chicago this is a clear cut case of child abuse. But to millions of Americans and the vast majority of Black Americans and a substantial majority of Southerners, what Peterson did was wrong only by degree. What he calls child abuse others view as the administration of a standard form of discipline given a bit too harshly.

Chicago has every right to his opinion, but its simply naive to stick one's head in the sand and act surprised as though there can be no other perspective on the issue than his own. He might be shocked to learn that others could view his disciplinary choices or even the lack of them as clear cut cases of child abuse.

Its obviously a thorny issue and his moral indignation might be admirable and allow for a great deal of self congratulation, but its not very constructive.

[frosted]

I understand that to Chicago this is a clear cut case of child abuse. But to millions of Americans and the vast majority of Black Americans and a substantial majority of Southerners, what Peterson did was wrong only by degree. What he calls child abuse others view as the administration of a standard form of discipline given a bit too harshly.

Chicago has every right to his opinion, but its simply naive to stick one's head in the sand and act surprised as though there can be no other perspective on the issue than his own. He might be shocked to learn that others could view his disciplinary choices or even the lack of them as clear cut cases of child abuse.

Its obviously a thorny issue and his moral indignation might be admirable and allow for a great deal of self congratulation, but its not very constructive.

I get what you're saying, but I think it's an understatement to say the discipline was given a bit too harshly. Let's be reasonable, there were significant injuries inflicted on the kid.

I'm not going to get into a #### slinging contest about discipline or anything like that, but I don't think proponents of either side of the argument have been free of hyperbolic statements about the issue.

[Mothman]

Chicago -

No one is arguing that AD didn't make an egregious mistake. Some people are just looking at the past history of penalities for first-time misdemeanors and seeing that AD's punishment doesn't fit. Some people are looking at the way the NFL administration has handled this situation and they see the issues with it. Some people are looking at how soon this situation occurred after the Ray Rice situation and are wondering how much the other non-related situation impacted AD's situation. Some people also are reading the quotes from Goodell in which he states things about AD that never happened. Some people are also understanding that Goodell is his own appeals hearing officer and that doesn't sit right with some people (and not just for AD's situation).

So, there's definitely an issue with how AD disciplined his child. But there's also many other issues surrounding this situation in regards to Roger Goodell, the NFL discipline process, and the NFL administration that deserve discourse.

Exactly. Well said.

[Pseudo Everything]

I understand that to Chicago this is a clear cut case of child abuse. But to millions of Americans and the vast majority of Black Americans and a substantial majority of Southerners, what Peterson did was wrong only by degree. What he calls child abuse others view as the administration of a standard form of discipline given a bit too harshly.

Chicago has every right to his opinion, but its simply naive to stick one's head in the sand and act surprised as though there can be no other perspective on the issue than his own. He might be shocked to learn that others could view his disciplinary choices or even the lack of them as clear cut cases of child abuse.

Its obviously a thorny issue and his moral indignation might be admirable and allow for a great deal of self congratulation, but its not very constructive.

I don't know how you can make a statement that claims to represent a vast majority of African Americans and a substantial majority of southerners on this issue. There has been no reliable polling data on this issue that I'm aware of (I wish there was). At best there's been some anecdotal evidence from Charles Barkley, et al. Anecdotes cannot be translated into terms like 'vast majority' or 'substantial majority'. Charles Barkley doesn't speak for the African American community; he speaks for himself.

If there was a poll (conducted by professional statisticians) that showed the pictures of the week old injuries to Peterson's son with a simple question: 'does this constitute child abuse that should be prosecuted by law enforcement?" ... here is how I would GUESS the outcome would be:
The public at large (nationwide): 80% Yes / 20% No
The public at large (southerners only): 65% Yes / 35% No
NFL football fans: 70% Yes / 30% No (Packers and Bears fans around 90% Yes)
Viking fans: 60% Yes / 40% No
Viking fans that post to internet message boards: 20% Yes / 80% No

These are just guesses on my part. The only one I feel reasonably confident in is the last one because that's based on observation of three different Viking message boards.

I don't really get why you are chastising Chicago. The posts in this thread are either overwhelmingly supportive of Peterson or overwhelmingly against the terms of his suspension.

I'm a lifelong Viking fan who was on the fence about Peterson up until I saw the pictures. I never want to see him in a Viking uniform again. Ever.

[chicagopurple]

OH BOY! someone had to make this a Black thing..or a southern thing...jeesh.....half my family lives in NoWhere Texas, and yes there were, ARE, spankings....but shredding up a little 4 yr childs butt and scrotum??! Sorry, but that is wrong in the south, in the north, in a white home, in a black home......this wasnt a culturally misunderstood spanking my friends.

The point is AP caused all this, not, Goodell, and its weird to deflect it all onto an administrator who should be running footbal and not have to deal with horrible issues like this. The NFL wants no part of child/spousal abuse and will treat these offends like nuclear waste now.......Ray Rice & AP are just not worth the trouble and threat to their business.


whew...no caps.....i am trying.

[halfgiz]

Peterson was only charged with a misdemeanor. And will miss 15 games.
Any other players in the future that get charged with a misdemeanor should get 15 games too!!
If not they should ride Goodell out of town on a rail

Edit: before you say AP's case was different a misdemeanor is a misdemeanor.

[Mothman]

I don't really get why you are chastising Chicago. The posts in this thread are either overwhelmingly supportive of Peterson or overwhelmingly against the terms of his suspension.

I think FiestaVike's point was simply that there are a variety of perspectives on Peterson's actions, his case and pretty much everything associated with it and those perspectives are influenced by everything from individual experience to cultural background. Consequently, it shouldn't be surprising that some people have concerns that extend beyond outrage at his Peterson's actions and it's certainly not absurd. Just because one issue is important, that doesn't mean related issues are unworthy of attention or discussion..

I'm a lifelong Viking fan who was on the fence about Peterson up until I saw the pictures. I never want to see him in a Viking uniform again. Ever.

... and that's yet another personal perspective. Everybody has one and they vary, sometimes considerably. We're all dealing with this in our own way, on our own timetable.

[TSonn]

Here we go. A little evidence of the NFL administration showing, at the very least, conflicting stories and, at the very worst, a glimpse of their corruption.

NFL administration says that nobody told AD that he'd receive "time served" as a part of his suspension:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... me-served/

An NFL administrator says that he talked to AD about receiving "time served":
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... s-context/

We, as Vikings fans, are obviously concerned about Adrian Peterson. But the way this situation is being handled has a much greater effect on the entire NFL.

[VikingLord]

I think this issue has two aspects that tend to confuse each other.

There is the legal issue of what AP did to his son.

There is the extra-legal issue of what impact the former has on his professional career (he's a football player, but honestly, this situation could apply to any number of professions).

A lot of people are justly outraged by what AP did to his son. It was unquestionably abuse, and if he still thinks otherwise (as Goodell seems to allude to in his justifications for the league's actions), then AP probably does need additional help and time off to get that help.

As far as the league's actions go, they're completely entitled to take them. The CBA they negotiated with the NFLPA allows them to do it, and quite honestly, it could be a lot worse (like a ban), especially considering AP got paid for the better part of the season while on the exempt list.

I guess what bothers me most about the situation is that the NFLPA didn't insist on a more inclusive disciplinary review process. Not that I think AP deserves less punishment or that it might result in less punishment in this particular case. The reason it bothers me is because it lends a sense of legitimacy to the result. It's the same reason trials by jury are a good thing. It impedes the sense that justice is arbitrary or decided by one person. It also helps to ensure that all aspects of a case are properly considered before a judgment is rendered. And the NFL and NFLPA had a chance to fix that aspect of this process in the new CBA and failed to do so.

The net result is that AP and his supporters can now legitimately claim that he's being unfairly punished or that the league is acting in an arbitrary manner towards him. Meanwhile, the league itself can do exactly that without any real checks against possible abuses beyond fairly meaningless "arbitration" and "appeals" processes that still lead back to the same place.

The NFL has taken some steps towards resolving the larger issue here, but the one glaring omission so far is the failure to lend legitimacy to the punishment process.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

Here we go. A little evidence of the NFL administration showing, at the very least, conflicting stories and, at the very worst, a glimpse of their corruption.

NFL administration says that nobody told AD that he'd receive "time served" as a part of his suspension:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... me-served/

An NFL administrator says that he talked to AD about receiving "time served":
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... s-context/

We, as Vikings fans, are obviously concerned about Adrian Peterson. But the way this situation is being handled has a much greater effect on the entire NFL.

Lol. The NFL is laughable at times.

What Adrian did was wrong. I don't think there is any disputing that. However, the man served his due and received his punishment. People deserve second chances in most cases. Adrian deserves a second chance.

I see a big legal battle coming. The type of lawsuit that goes on for a long time. This isn't getting resolved this season.

[Mothman]

OH BOY! someone had to make this a Black thing..or a southern thing...jeesh.....half my family lives in NoWhere Texas, and yes there were, ARE, spankings....but shredding up a little 4 yr childs butt and scrotum??! Sorry, but that is wrong in the south, in the north, in a white home, in a black home......this wasnt a culturally misunderstood spanking my friends.

i don't think anybody here is claiming "shredding up a little 4 yr childs butt and scrotum" is nothing more than a "culturally misunderstood spanking" and Peterson himself acknowledged that it went too far. He expressed that to the boy's mother well before he was ever charged with anything.

By the way, it's really not necessary to keep reiterating the nature of crime. We all know what happened.

The point is AP caused all this, not, Goodell, and its weird to deflect it all onto an administrator who should be running footbal and not have to deal with horrible issues like this.

I don't see one person here, or in the press, trying to deflect it all onto Goodell. However, people are understandably discussing that aspect of the case, because it's current, it's a recent development in a story that's now about two months old. The nature of the crime was revealed. The case has been through the legal system and now we're in a different phase of it, where Goodell has become a central figure.

Incidentally, part of Goodell's job is to deal with issues like this. It's one of many reasons he receives an enormous salary.

The NFL wants no part of child/spousal abuse and will treat these offends like nuclear waste now.......Ray Rice & AP are just not worth the trouble and threat to their business.

It's interesting to me that you, and many others, have such a harsh, unwavering assessment of Peterson (you actually referred to him as a "monster" earlier) for going overboard with the corporal punishment of his child and yet, little, if any sympathy for him as someone who was once on the receiving end "whoopin's" with a switch. A flood of information about the psychological damage corporal punishment can have on children hit the media in the wake of this case and from what I've read, research has shown that corporal punishment can hinder development and have a lasting impact, well into adulthood. Consider this:

Physical punishment encourages kids to continue the cycle of abuse.
A 2011 study published in Child Abuse and Neglect confirmed that physical punishment is cyclical -- children who are hit are more likely to use the action to solve problems with their peers and siblings.

Later on, they're at a higher risk for delinquency and criminal behavior, according to a 2013 article, "Spanking and Child Development: We Know Enough Now to Stop Hitting Our Children," also by Gershoff.

So, is Peterson a monster or a damaged individual continuing a cycle of punishment he learned when he himself was struck with a switch as a child? I don't want to steer this too far afield from football-related matters, and you don't even have to answer the question, but I think that's an aspect of this case people should at least think about. While we decry the damage inflicted on a child and the psychological harm it could cause, we should at least consider the psychological harm that may have been caused to Peterson when he was a child and how that may have led to the situation we're discussing now.

whew...no caps.....i am trying.

Thank you.

[Purple Reign]

Peterson was only charged with a misdemeanor. And will miss 15 games.
Any other players in the future that get charged with a misdemeanor should get 15 games too!!

First I would say that it just can't be any misdemeanor - it would have to be a felony charge that is plea dealed down to a misdemeanor if you really want to compare apples to apples.

And if the players are allowed to get paid for 8 of those games anyway, you probably wouldn't get too many complaints.

[Purple Reign]

Here we go. A little evidence of the NFL administration showing, at the very least, conflicting stories and, at the very worst, a glimpse of their corruption.

NFL administration says that nobody told AD that he'd receive "time served" as a part of his suspension:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... me-served/

An NFL administrator says that he talked to AD about receiving "time served":
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... s-context/

We, as Vikings fans, are obviously concerned about Adrian Peterson. But the way this situation is being handled has a much greater effect on the entire NFL.

Unless anything was put in writing it is just all hearsay anyway.