I didn’t post about this yesterday, first because the news was still rather confused (some sites claiming other sites had fallen for a cruel hoax) and second because the story was still unfolding. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson’s son died after what appears to have been a beating from his mother’s boyfriend. This isn’t Adrian Peterson Jr., but another child the media didn’t know about until Friday.
In spite of the tragic news about his son, Adrian Peterson said he intended to play in today’s game against the Carolina Panthers, which has surprised some of the fanbase. The Star Tribune‘s Jim Souhan explains:
Of all the fiery rings of imaginable hell, none could possibly sear the soul like the loss of a child.
Adrian Peterson’s son died this week. This is the worst loss a human can suffer, and it happened in the worst possible way. A man allegedly beat his 2-year-old son to death.
When he was 7, Peterson watched his older brother get hit by a drunken driver and die.
While he attended the NFL combine, he learned of a half-brother being shot and killed.
Now, he has lost a son. He will grieve, and it appears he will play football while grieving.
How do athletes do this? How do they summon the competitiveness to play a game while bearing a heavy heart and a cluttered mind?
How will Adrian Peterson?
To the layman, the concept of playing a game while grieving makes little sense. No one would want to go to the office on the day their son died.
Great athletes are different from us in many ways, and this is one of those ways.
Games are their milieu. As hoary as the cliché has become, teams are their temporary families. The playing field is where they pour out their emotions, where they honor those they love.
If Peterson decides to play on Sunday, he will not be demonstrating insensitivity to his personal tragedy. He will not be displaying misguided priorities, or placing football above real life. There is no correct choice for Peterson to make, only the choice that allows him to grieve as he sees fit.
If he decides to play, he will be honoring his son the best way he knows how.
