Former Minnesota Vikings all-pro running back Adrian Peterson recently pleaded “no contest” to a count of misdemeanor reckless assault, settling his alleged child abuse case. His plea references neither family violence nor violence against a minor, and will not require jail time. Also, former Baltimore Ravens starting running back Ray Rice, who was suspended indefinitely due to a domestic assault charge, may be close to returning to the NFL.
With Peterson’s plea of no contest, his legal matters, though controversial, have been resolved. Rice’s then fiancée (now wife) Janay Palmer defended her husband vehemently, and bashing the media for “taking something away from the man [she] loves that he has worked…all his life for.” Ray Rice’s appeal will likely be answered by Thanksgiving, according to Sports Illustrated.
Rice and Peterson have entirely separate cases. As such, it is impossible to compare the two. Additionally, their future in the NFL is drastically different.
Ray Rice will never play another game in the NFL. He had a terrible 2013 season, and, due to his incident with his fiancée, he did not get a chance to prove himself in 2014. NFL running backs usually decline faster than any other position, and many believe that the 27 (soon to be 28) year old Rice may already be over-the-hill.
Ray Rice’s off-the-field misconduct, lack of performance in 2013 and age make him an undesirable free agent. A potential Ray Rice signing would be very low-risk, high-reward. Rice displayed his talent during the Ravens Super Bowl championship season in 2012, rushing for 1,143 yards with nine touchdowns, while also adding 478 receiving yards. However, it remains to be seen if the Rutgers product could even duplicate half of that production in future seasons on the field.
Adrian Peterson, though, is a completely different story. Peterson will play in the NFL again. He may even play this year. Despite battling injury, he has been among the NFL’s elite running backs for most of recent memory. The seventh overall pick out of the University of Oklahoma has 10,190 career rushing yards and 86 touchdowns since entering the league in 2007.
Despite how intrinsically immoral it may seem, the NFL has no present case to keep Peterson out of the league, either. According to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, Peterson currently faces a six-game suspension under the new personal conduct policy. However, Rapoport continues, his suspension will most likely be fewer than six games after a compromise.
When Peterson was first arrested, many were skeptical as to whether or not Minnesota would want him back on its team. If I could make Minnesota’s decision, I would cut ties. Though Peterson’s case differs tremendously from the examples of Ray Rice and Carolina’s Greg Hardy, the topic of domestic abuse in the NFL is too hot right now. If I had the authority to disassociate my team with domestic violence, I would exercise that power.
Even if the Vikings do choose to cut ties with their former star, though, another team will pick him up in free agency. He’s just too good.
Think back to 2009, when the Philadelphia Eagles signed disgraced star quarterback Michael Vick. Vick was drafted first overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2001, and had every sign of a franchise quarterback. At one point in his career, he was the highest paid player in football. However, his dogfighting scandal tarnished his reputation, and he was shunned from the league he once ruled.
The Eagles, looking to add a new element to their offense, took a chance on a remorseful Vick. He played well during his stint in Philadelphia. So well, in fact, that he would arguably still be the starter in Philadelphia if Nick Foles did not perform exceedingly well last season while filling in for the injured Vick.
After Foles took over Philadelphia’s quarterback position, many thought Vick’s time in the NFL had reached its official end. But, Vick currently holds the starting job for the New York Jets, who signed him this past offseason.
Other players who could have been ousted from the NFL include Adam “Pac Man” Jones and Ray Lewis.
Adam Jones, currently a cornerback and kickoff/punt return specialist for the Cincinnati Bengals, has a rather lengthy criminal record and a hefty attachment around strip clubs. He has gotten into physical altercations with both strippers and his own bodyguards. In his most extreme case, he was involved in a gunfight at a Las Vegas strip club that left someone paralyzed.
Ray Lewis, two-time Super Bowl champion with the Baltimore Ravens and current TV analyst, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice after his involvement in a fight that led to a man’s death. The charges were dropped after his guilty plea.
The bottom line is this: even though professional sports players frequently break the law, they also frequently continue to participate in professional sports. Ray Rice will most likely miss the cut back to pro football, but Adrian Peterson is far too good and has too much support behind him to be finished in the NFL.
