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http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12350 ... api_public

Can't say I blame him or his wife.

fiestavike wrote: Can't say I blame him or his wife.

I think it would help if we knew what was going on behind the scenes - which of course, we never will. It'd be interesting to know just how much they did support him though. It seems like they tried initially.

DKSweets wrote:I think it would help if we knew what was going on behind the scenes - which of course, we never will. It'd be interesting to know just how much they did support him though. It seems like they tried initially.

I agree. I was very proud of the organizations initial reaction. As far as what happened after that, I can see why the Peterson's wouldn't particularly want to remain devoted to the Vikings, or Minnesota.

As you say though, its hard to say what happened behind the scenes. I do think its possible for the organization to act in a very craven fashion publicly for obvious financial reasons and leave all the weight on Peterson if they are making promises and reassurances on the other end. If they weren't making those promises they probably burned that bridge.

I just dont understand why he believes that it wouldve gone much different had he been playing somewhere else. The reason that the minnesota media covered the story is because he is a player on a minnesota team. Had he been playing somewhere else it wouldve been that city/state media that wouldve been all over this.

I am also pretty sure that the way things have played out would have been pretty similar no matter where he was playing. If he didnt want to deal with consequences then he should not have done wrong. Its like he still doesnt realize that HE messed up. Deal with the consequences and move on.

I was a huge Peterson fan, even after all this happened, i was very leaniant with any judgement of him. Reading that article this morning made my stomache turn a bit and im starting to realize that i could care less if he comes back or not.

DKSweets wrote:I told myself after the last round of crap in this story that I would refrain from caring anymore. Surprisingly, I'm doing a pretty good job today.

I wish I could say the same. I'm frustrated on a bunch of different levels and doing my best not to get sucked into the whole thing again.

Grashopa wrote:I just dont understand why he believes that it wouldve gone much different had he been playing somewhere else. The reason that the minnesota media covered the story is because he is a player on a minnesota team. Had he been playing somewhere else it wouldve been that city/state media that wouldve been all over this.

I am also pretty sure that the way things have played out would have been pretty similar no matter where he was playing. If he didnt want to deal with consequences then he should not have done wrong. Its like he still doesnt realize that HE messed up. Deal with the consequences and move on.

I was a huge Peterson fan, even after all this happened, i was very leaniant with any judgement of him. Reading that article this morning made my stomache turn a bit and im starting to realize that i could care less if he comes back or not.

That sums it up pretty well for me too. It's sad.


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If everyone decided to quit their job because they didn't "trust" the high level executives at their company, then the entire economy would collapse.

Adrian - Grow up, suck it up, run the football, and collect your FAT paycheck.

Or, maybe the world would be a better place if everyone did quit, then those execs couldn't get rich off the backs of everyone else's work

Yesterday I was looking forward to his return to the Vikings.

Today I am contemplating putting away his jersey.

PsyDanny wrote:Yesterday I was looking forward to his return to the Vikings.

Today I am contemplating putting away his jersey.

There seems to clearly be a disconnect between Peterson and the local fan base. this whole situation could all work out to everyone's advantage depending on what Peterson might fetch in a trade.

Taking a positive view of things from a football perspective...

1. a fan base conflicted about Peterson could be ridded of their dilemma
2. the Vikings could shed an iconic player who has a massive contract and is getting up there in age without a ton of outcry from fanbase.
3. the vikings could get something in return for said player
4. Peterson can go play somewhere that the fanbase is not conflicted about him.
5. The vikings get younger and have more ammo ($) to resign young players.

If he stays you have

1. a fan base conflicted about the star player / relating problems with sponsors
2. the vikings get one-two more seasons from a legendary RB
3. The vikings get nothing in return after that stint
4. Peterson is conflicted about the organization
5. The vikings might have to let 1-2 young players of FAs walk/not be signed

If you add that up it sounds like much more of a win - win to trade him, and he seemed to express a willingness to cut his salary to make that possible (though not to stay, it should be noted). If the Vikings can get a 1st rounder in return I think Peterson is gone and I think its best for everyone.

Guys, if THIS is what makes you not want to be a Peterson fan anymore, you're either making an overly emotional statement or you have some weird priorities. I think he's done worse things in the past year than be upset with this organization.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed by these comments. I'm trying to figure out just what other options the team had and what Peterson expected them to do. They took a pretty heavy PR slam (by Minnesota media market standards) by sticking by him initially. If he was on any other team in the league (even the Cowboys) would he not have put that team in a similar situation? Was there any realistic way he could've continued playing while this was being sorted out in the courts? I find that incredibly hard to believe (even if one of the motivations for working with the NFL to put him on the list was because of sponsorship pressure and public outcry).

Frankly, it smells a bit of an agent negotiation tactic. I mean, one day outside of the courthouse Peterson says he wants to stay in Minnesota and he's quoted saying he has "unfinished business" here. Now all of a sudden he feels hurt by the organization? If I'm his agent, I'm telling him to say these things as it would seem to be less likely for management to approach him regarding a contract renegotiation if he's already not feeling warm fuzzies. His contract, as it stands, makes him all but untradable unless he agrees in principal to rip it up and start over with his new team. So from a purely financial perspective, Minnesota is going to be his best option. I've seen it speculated that if he's unhappy then he just might be cut. I'll fall over in my chair (then eat it) if that happens. No way management outright cuts arguably the best player in the league because he's not happy.

I just want camp to get here and put all this non-football-related crap behind.

I am thinking that there is a 49/51 percent chance that AD is with the Vikes this year. I think there is a slightly better chance that Jerry Jones opens his pocket book and trades for him. I would say a first round and 5th round pick would swing the deal. I would be ok with that scenario.
I, like many others, just want an end to this bebacle

dead_poet wrote:I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed by these comments. I'm trying to figure out just what other options the team had and what Peterson expected them to do. They took a pretty heavy PR slam (by Minnesota media market standards) by sticking by him initially. If he was on any other team in the league (even the Cowboys) would he not have put that team in a similar situation? Was there any realistic way he could've continued playing while this was being sorted out in the courts? I find that incredibly hard to believe (even if one of the motivations for working with the NFL to put him on the list was because of sponsorship pressure and public outcry).

Frankly, it smells a bit of an agent negotiation tactic. I mean, one day outside of the courthouse Peterson says he wants to stay in Minnesota and he's quoted saying he has "unfinished business" here. Now all of a sudden he feels hurt by the organization? If I'm his agent, I'm telling him to say these things as it would seem to be less likely for management to approach him regarding a contract renegotiation if he's already not feeling warm fuzzies. His contract, as it stands, makes him all but untradable unless he agrees in principal to rip it up and start over with his new team. So from a purely financial perspective, Minnesota is going to be his best option. I've seen it speculated that if he's unhappy then he just might be cut. I'll fall over in my chair (then eat it) if that happens. No way management outright cuts arguably the best player in the league because he's not happy.

I just want camp to get here and put all this non-football-related crap behind.

I said I wasn't going to get involved in this situation again, but I cannot help it. Honestly, Peterson can get the FOH if he is trying to spite this organization. This is the same organization that ORIGINALLY TRIED TO REINSTATE him after the first couple of game suspensions. This is also the same organization that, while unfortunately put him on a ridiculously flawed list, still paid his FULL salary all season - despite the suspension. I am not sure what else the organization could have done. The NFL was out for blood and they were trying make an example of their new BS tough guy stance.

If Peterson wants to play hardball, we can too. We can sit on his rights and force him to retire if he doesn't like it. Or we can trade him to some place like Cleveland.

This better be an agent negation tactic, because, IMO, Minnesota really isn't at fault in this situation. If Peterson truly believes that Minnesota is the one to blame, all he needs to do is look in the mirror - switch in hand.

/rant

I don't understand why everyone is so upset. I would be hurt too if people on my team tried to keep me off of it. He is just answering the questions the reporter asked him. Who knows how the question was actually phrased too.

I still think he will be in Purple next year, it just makes the most sense. If anything, people HERE would be more forgiving than any other market because of whet he has meant to this area for the last 8+ years.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12350 ... ta-vikings

Peterson:

]I love Minnesota. There are people that have had my back, and supported me. Last year, with the things that took place, had a lot of fans that supported me through everything. For the fans, I would definitely love to come back, but then again, it's a business, when it comes down to business, you can't get caught up in the loyalty to fans or to a team or anything like that. You know how it is in the NFL. I learned a lot through this process. I'm still uneasy, to be honest with you. I'm still uneasy about a lot of things that took place within the organization. Of course those guys ultimately supported me, and I'm grateful for that. But ultimately, with me being able to be on the inside and see how cards were dealt, how things were worded, this, that and the other, it's about protecting your brand, your organization, what you have built. In the (grand) scheme of things, not one person counts over that. I get that."

I think it's likely that Peterson's frustration stems from a few particular sources. His comments about the way the Minnesota media handled things are likely a reference to the slam piece the Star Tribune published in early October about his charity, his supposed mis-use of a Foundation credit card, etc. If recall correctly, significant aspects of that report proved to be inaccurate (and it had nothing to do with his case).

He seems conflicted about the Vikings and that's probably because, according to reports, there was conflict within the Vikings about him. The team just promoted Kevin Warren to COO and according to a report Adam Schefter made last November, Warren was working with the NFL to ensure that Peterson wouldn't be able to play last season. In other words, a highly placed and recently promoted member of the Vikings organization was working to keep him from playing for the team at the same time he and the NFLPA were trying to get him back on the field to play for them. I don't think it's difficult to understand why that might not sit well with Peterson and it doesn't seem unreasonable to me that it wouldn't sit well.

We have no idea how his family was treated while all of this was going on but people can obviously be cruel. Maybe they went through something last fall that makes Minnesota feel like a hostile place to them now. If that's the case, surely it's not too difficult to understand why that might trouble someone in Peterson's position.

I also have to point out that although the Vikings paid him his full salary while he was on the exemption list, it's not as if that was a charitable act on their part. If I'm not mistaken, they had no choice if they wanted to retain his rights. He wasn't suspended so the only way to not pay him was to cut him. It wasn't a selfless show of support, it was a contractual necessity if the team wanted to retain the rights to a valuable asset.

I agree with dead_poet that this smells a bit like a negotiation tactic. That may be part of what's going on. I think there's probably more to it than that but the Vikings put their cards on the table about wanting Peterson to play for them in 2015. From a business perspective, the stance he is taking may be a good way to ensure that if he plays for the Vikings in 2015, he'll be doing so under the terms of his current deal.