Don't Judge Before We Know The Facts

As fans we can tend to be judgemental before we know all the facts. The same may be the case in the Adrian Peterson arrest scandal. Many people felt Peterson had let down the organization, his fans, and more importantly his teammates. Peterson isn't the type of person that would put himself before those he is surrounded by. He has always been the high character leader of the team since he set foot on the field for the first time.

I remember Adrian's first game against the Atlanta Falcons. Tarvaris Jackson dropped back to pass and flipped a screen pass to Peterson. In an instant Peterson made several cuts and blew by the defense. The Metrodome erupted and the fans all around me began to say "this guy's the real deal." After that play I knew that "A.D." was the face of this franchise for seasons to come.

Not only was he the "real deal" on the field, he impressed the fans by the way he gave credit to his teammates before himself. After winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2007, he treated his offensive line to dinner for the paving the way for him to achieve his success.

At training camp Adrian has always been for the kids. He always signs all the kids autographs and takes pride in doing so. He has always wanted to be the role model for the children. I remember a small toddler at training camp in the arms of Adrian as he signed his jersey. Those are the type of influences athletes like Adrian Peterson can have on a young child. Those type of situations make this whole thing tougher on Peterson. He doesn't want kids to think that he isn't a positive role model for them. If he is indeed innocent, (which I believe so) I feel extremely bad for Adrian and the bad publicity he received for absolutely no reason.

The question I have for the Houston Police Department is why the others in the club that hadn't left weren't arrested for leaving? Why did they target the celebrity in the building when others were disobeying?

We know Adrian Peterson believes he is innocent because he spent money to hire the well known Rusty Hardin to defend him. Hardin is the same attorney that represented Roger Clemen's in his perjury case.

Hardin released a statement (per 1500espn.com), "Adrian Peterson does not act the way he has been described in the initial reports, and he did not act that way Saturday morning. He was only in that club for 30 to 40 minutes, was never objectionable to other patrons, and never physically resisted any police officer. Adrian is extremely upset about these false allegations.

Please don't think that I'm saying Adrian Peterson should have been at that club that evening. No, he shouldn't have put himself in that situation in the first place. I think Adrian wishes he wouldn't have made the mistake of attending the club now. I hope that Adrian's reputation isn't at all tattered do to this false accusation. I know and all dedicated Vikings fans know the type of football player, leader, and man that Adrian Peterson is. My message for us all is to take a look at the facts and think about the type of person that committed the crime before jumping to conclusions.

I know Adrian Peterson will always be the same "All Day" in the minds of true Vikings fans. Most of all he will be the same role model he has always been for me.