Extra Points: Vikings and Peterson headed for divorce
(SportsNetwork.com) – Employee loyalty generally begins with a company’s allegiance.
A worker, whether he makes minimum wage or the $14 million Adrian Peterson raked in last season to keep his stained brand away from the Minnesota Vikings, wants to believe if the job is done in an efficient manner, the organization he works for will support him.
In today’s politically correct environment, though, no company is sticking by a representative who is being thrown to the wolves in the court of public opinion, and that’s the crux of what is now an inevitable divorce between Peterson and the Vikings.
Peterson, a three-time All-Pro in Minnesota who was once one of the faces of the NFL, told ESPN Thursday he is unsure about the prospect of returning to the Vikings in 2015.
Peterson blames the team for working with Roger Goodell and the league to put the superstar on the then little-known commissioner’s exempt list last September, stemming from child-abuse charges which ultimately resulted in the star running back pleading no contest to a misdemeanor.
The 2012 NFL MVP called that result an “ambush,” adding, “There were people (in the organization) that I trusted, who knew exactly what was said, that weren’t heard from” when he was trying to get back on the field.
Peterson’s camp believes Kevin Warren, the Vikings’ then vice president of legal affairs who was promoted to the team’s COO earlier this month, is the one who threw the six-time Pro Bowl selection under the bus.
“It shows you can have all the loyalty toward someone and toward an organization, a fan base, but when things really shift and it’s you or the empire, they’re gonna put you out on a leash,” Peterson claimed.
“I said, ‘Of course (I prefer to come back to the Vikings).’ I said it.” he continued. “But my emotions, as far as those things I feel, those are for players like (linebacker) Chad Greenway, those guys that play the game just like me, that have the same passion I have, the same goal I have, to win a championship. That’s where it comes from. It don’t come from the organization. I’m not in a good place when it comes to that.”
Minnesota still holds all the cards, though, because Peterson remains under contract for the 2015 season. His base salary, however, is scheduled to be $12.75 million and he plays a position that has been devalued around the league.
Just about everyone at the top of the Vikings organization from team president Mark Wilf to general manager Rick Spielman, coach Mike Zimmer and even Warren have all claimed they want Peterson back, but that could be lip service in an effort to try to acquire something for Peterson’s rights.
“Adrian Peterson is under contract with us,” Spielman said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “He’s a very unique football player. I’m sure Adrian is doing everything he can do off the field. He made a mistake, he admitted a mistake. I’m sure he’s doing everything he can to not only make himself better as a football player but also a better person off the field, and that’s the type of person Adrian is.
“He’s a suspended player right now and then we’ll see where it goes from there. But there’s no question, I don’t think any team in the NFL wouldn’t want an Adrian Peterson-caliber running back on their football team.”
Peterson had a different take.
“I know there are a lot of people in the organization who want me back,” he said. “But then again, I know the ones who don’t.”
That’s another nod toward Warren, the highest-ranking African-American executive on the business side for an NFL team and a man, whether it’s true or not, Peterson believes showed no loyalty and helped create the atmosphere where the torches and pitchforks emerged.
“I have a wife who was able to sit back and see how people in Minnesota said this and said that, how media in Minnesota took the head of the situation with my child, and were digging into things that weren’t even relevant,” he said. “That wasn’t people in Texas (Peterson’s home state where the charges were leveled) — it was people in Minnesota that dug in and brought things out. That impacted me, but, most importantly, it impacted the people around me — my family, my kids.
“This came from the state I love so much, that I wish to bring a championship to? This is how they treat me when I’m down and out? You kick me?”
Zimmer, known as a no-nonsense guy, has been more straightforward than most. In a pure football sense, the head coach understands just how much easier Peterson could make things for emerging second-year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
“You understand that if you get him back, he’s a different special guy,” Zimmer said. “But you always have plans based on what if this guy is back this is an opportunity of what we have to do with him. And not all guys can run like Adrian can, so there’s a lot of different things you can do with him than some of the other guys.”
Zimmer also understands, however, any future relationship must be a “two-way street.”
“I would respect Adrian’s decision,” the coach said. “I’ll always be honest with him and up-front, but I’m gonna try to explain to him the reasons why I would like to him to be here.”
Peterson, though, probably won’t be listening.
“My wife (and I), we’ve had several conversations about me returning to Minnesota, what the best options are. If I left it up to her, I’d be somewhere else today, and that’s with her weighing everything. It’s a lot for me to weigh; she understands that. But there are some things that I’m still uneasy about.”
Categorized in: NFL
Tags: Minnesota, Minnesota Vikings, Vikings