
Full disclosure in journalism act: I'm bored with the Adrian Peterson case.
I'm bored with the grandstanding of holier-than-thou, lily white suburbanites who feel like the entire world should know, and adhere to, every standard they have about everything (in this case, how to raise a child). I'm bored with Adrian trying to play the victim. I'm bored with sports meat-heads who defend Peterson blindly. I'm bored with waiting to see how this plays out.
In general, I'm bored with hearing people talk about it.
Every opinion about Peterson has been beaten to death by a multitude of commentators on both sides. The decision by the NFL to suspend him for the rest of the 2014 season is only making them all spew their boring nonsense once again.
I'm bored with it!
Like everyone else will be doing until the story gets old again (did I tell you that it's already really old with me?) I'll reiterate what I thought about the case from the beginning. However, I'm not going to give my opinion about what he did to his kid. It's already been gone over a million times and everyone has backing for their argument. I'm just going to look at it from a football standpoint.
I was one of few people who didn't like Peterson's contract extension. To pay $100 million for a running back in the NFL in 2014 makes no sense. Sure, having a serviceable running game is important because it allows a team to stretch out their offense, but investing that much salary cap space on the position doesn't leave enough money for more important positions (quarterback, wide receivers, defensive backs, etc.).
The only reason the Vikings signed Peterson to such a ludicrous deal is because they, and especially the fan base, had an unrealistic, pedistalized view of him. For half the price they could afford an above average running back, a good wide receiver or two, and more.
Regardless of the circumstances, and the nonsensical way the NFL has handled Peterson's situation, the Vikings now have an out from his bloated deal. And they should take it. Hopefully as soon as possible. The sooner I stop hearing about this situation the better.
Erik Ritland is a writer and musician from St. Paul, Minnesota. His blog and podcast Rambling On features commentary on music, sports, culture, and more. He is also a contributor for Minnesota culture blog Curious North. Support Erik's music via his Patreon account, reach him via email, or find him on Facebook and Twitter.