Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson made recent comments suggesting he’d be willing to play in the NFL for the 2024 season. His remarks came days after Peterson denied a report he was facing financial difficulties after earning nearly $100 million in his NFL career.
Adrian Peterson is dealing with financial issues in court
Earlier this week, Brent Schrotenboer with USA Today reported Peterson is dealing with financial issues in court:
But he hasn’t played since 2021, the same year that a judge in New York entered an $8.3 million judgment against him stemming from an unpaid loan. Court records indicate he hasn’t paid up since and instead has been ensnared in a legal battle over attempts to seize his property to collect on that judgment, including a fight over a piano and items that have been kept in multiple storage units.
On Wednesday, dozens of his personal items even were advertised for sale at an auction in Texas, including his 2012 MVP trophy and his 2007 rookie of the year trophy.
The former Minnesota Vikings MVP wants to keep his trophy
Peterson posted a video on X and said his finances were “stable,” unlike what had been reported about him. Peterson said he was not trying to sell his MVP trophy or other such trophy items:
“I did not authorize the sale of any of my trophies, and I will be taking legal action,” Peterson said. “Trusting this company without supervision was my mistake. We allowed them to go into several of our storage units with clear instructions. They clearly did something unlawful. I want to emphasize that I’m financially stable and would never sell off my hard-earned trophies. And if I was gonna sell ’em, I know people that I could sell them to. I wouldn’t go online and sell my personal items randomly.”
Peterson is open to playing in the NFL again
Peterson could look to add to his bank account by playing football again. Per a video posted by CBS Sports, Peterson said he is “open” to returning to the league.
“I wouldn’t say I’m game-ready right now,” Peterson said. “I had to let my body recover. I had some injuries and stuff. My last injury was with Seattle—I had a pinched nerve, and I didn’t wanna go under the knife. It took about a year for that to finally heal, but I’m always open to go out there and play again. We’ll see what happens.”
The Minnesota Vikings drafted Peterson in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He last played for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2021 season. Peterson’s last Pro Bowl season came in the 2015 season.