Adrian PetersonA golden life filled with heartache, tragedy, loss, and heartache but full of success. His parents named him “All Day”Because he never stops. He’s also known as Purple Jesus by the hood because he’s No. The NFL’s No. 1 pigskin trader. He’s truly The Comeback Kid, if you take all of his life experiences into consideration.
Peterson learned resilience from a young age. Peterson was the younger brother of Brian who was killed in a car accident. He also used football for medication. Pee Wee football featured him and his father, who was a former shooting guard at Idaho State but whose NBA ambitions were thwarted by an accident shooting, was his coach.
Peterson was 13 years old when his father was arrested for laundering money to fund a crack operation. His dad, a Walmart truck driver, had 10 kids and earned just eight dollars per hour. The lure of drug cash entrapped him. It was a terrible loss to a family of black people trying to survive in The Lone Star State. Peterson was supported by his mother and rebounded well in the absence of his father. He was a basketball, track, and football player who created a better future for himself than Palestine, Texas.
Purple Jesus is not only the result of his prolific talent. Peterson’s complex and relatable life, ghetto stories, and resilient nature are what make him an attractive figure to the hood. His street cred is amazing. The hood is strong, just like Peterson. People fall into the trap when they have to deal with a variety of adversity, including family members in prison, illegal drugs and guns, and absence of their fathers for crucial periods of child development. These are the elements of a hood life that very few people have the chance to escape. Peterson is a master at making a habit of it and inspiring others.
His 2012 recovery from potentially fatal knee surgery was his most memorable.
Peterson’s return less than 10 months after his surgery has made a difference for a Minnesota team which was just 3-12 in 2011. A.D.’s rush has offense — the Vikes are at 5-3, two games behind Chicago Bears (6-1). Purple Jesus has taken the NFL lead in yards per game (96.9) and yardage (775). He isn’t contact-shy. He is putting in work, with a league-second 174 touches. He’s exploding like A.D. and forcing 28 missed tackles in the league.
He is on his way to the greatest major leg recovery, and he’s running back. A.D. can’t even half-step. He lives that way. He doesn’t care about the details, he just takes them all and shines.
Life on the margins can feel like Peterson’s body. There are many people in this community who want to be great but don’t have the resources. In the hood culture, there’s a cruel hypocrisy. Peterson’s parents were college students with good intentions. However, the criminal element was always lurking. Peterson is crazy ambitious, he wants to rush for 2,500 yards per season. But his body doesn’t allow him to achieve these goals. A.D. believes in falling down and getting up again. It’s also a staple of the hood.
Sometimes, his life was a movie. He is famous, wealthy, and has had plenty of NFL billboards. The tragedy of his life has also been a Broadway musical, featuring tragic characters such as guns, cocaine, loss and failure.
Peterson was a freshman at Oklahoma and finished second in the highly coveted Heisman voting. The next two years were not as sweet for Peterson, who was limited by a broken collarbone and a high-ankle strain. His dad was released from prison in 2006, which was a positive. Peterson, who was finishing his junior season in Oklahoma, saw the future as brighter than 2 Chainz grill pieces. Peterson was selected by the Minnesota Vikings as the 7th round pick. However, he had the horror of witnessing the murder of his half brother the night before.
He didn’t let this setback stop him from being a hustler. Dutch Shultz was played by Bumpy Johnson in the movie “Hoodlum,”Peterson stormed into the NFL and broke the single-game rush record of 296 yards. Peterson was injured in the LCL of his right knee against Packers a week later. Peterson was a gritty, A.D. type of guy and got it right in just two months. He returned to Detroit for the second time. Peterson believed he was capable of handling the second knee injury, even though there were doubts. He had already handled the first one. However, many felt that the injury might force him out of the game. But even if his knee were to hold, how would it affect his psyche and his self-esteem?
Whitney Houston’s loss of clarity was obvious. Although her presence was felt, her vocal impact was diminished. Many people believed A.D. would succumb to the same fate as his groin injury. Jerry Rice, the Mr. Workhorse, felt Peterson was hurrying his return. It seems Rice and all the doubters were right.
It’s all okay. They didn’t know A.D., but he returned to the arena as usual when his pads were against it. He didn’t want a simple return. He needed that T.I. He wanted that T.I. Peterson made it clear to the opposing defenses that the King was back and with each tough yard won, he’s reclaiming the throne.
This story was provided by “The Shadow League.”You can find more stories about sports at www. www.theshadowleague.com.
