Adrian Peterson offered up his first long-form interview since his 2014 suspension for child-abuse charges, and it looks like the whole experience has taught the Vikings’ star running back who the real victim in this ordeal has been: Adrian Peterson.
Speaking on “In Depth with Graham Bensinger,” Peterson revealed his feelings about his punishment, the sense that he was judged unfairly and whether he did anything wrong in the first place.
“I missed an entire season, you know?” Peterson told Bensinger. “I was judged before I was actually judged, you know? But I’ll accept it because it didn’t break me. It made me a stronger person, a smarter, more wiser individual. I was actually able to see people, a lot of people, for who they really are.”
Peterson presumably was referring to the people who reacted negatively when it was revealed he repeatedly hit his 4-year-old son so hard with a tree branch — a “switch” — it left inches-long cuts and bruises all over the boy’s legs and scrotum.
The 2012 NFL MVP defended his actions at the time as parental discipline in the form of corporal punishment, and in the two years since, he has not changed his tune.
“I would think that any parent wouldn’t intentionally harm their child, you know, and in my case, that was definitely, you know, what it was,” Peterson said. “It was purely trying to discipline him, and unfortunately, because of errors on my behalf, it ended up differently.”
He also reflected on his youth, when he was disciplined similarly and forced to choose the wooden switch with which he would be hit. He said the experience “helped me become the person I am today,” without specifying if he was talking about the person indicted for child abuse or the person who plays football well.
“When I was growing up – and I know, like, my mom and stuff, too, they got whooped with extension cords. … That doesn’t feel good at all,” Peterson said. “But [with] a switch, there’s a sting to it, and it makes you get some act right.”
Peterson avoided jail time for the incident and pleaded down to a single misdemeanor charge of reckless assault, for which he agreed to pay a $4,000 fine and perform 80 hours of community service. He also missed 15 games and lost $4.2 million in pay for the 2014 season.
Bensinger asked what, if anything, Peterson learned from saga, and the answer seems to be: not much.
“Just not to be judgmental towards people because after going through that and just seeing other people you know going through different situations as well, just like, man, you should really find out the details and, you know, before you sit there and start persecuting people and judging people,” Peterson said. “Just leave it up to the one person to judge.”
So, take a cue from Peterson and don’t judge people accused of child abuse too quickly. Wait for the pictures to come out that reveal the abuse was much worse than previously thought. Then, maybe go ahead and form your opinions.