The Adrian Peterson Story the Media Won't Touch Until Now

"Where is the outrage for an NFL player who apparently fathered five children by four women, none of them he was married to?"

After the death of his 2 year old son, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson received sympathy from many corners. Many even supported him with his decision to play last Sunday, only a few days following his son's death. But as the public has learned through various media outlets, Peterson never knew his son and only met him while he was on life support in the hospital following a brutal beating by the mother's boyfriend.

One columnist from The Baltimore Sun asked the above question about Peterson's seemingly reckless sexual behavior and his version of being a father.

Adrian Peterson's version of 'Parenthood' by Susan Reimer

Reigning NFL MVP Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings has been criticized for his decision to play in Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers despite the fact that a son — that he had only recently learned existed — had died of head injuries consistent with child abuse.


Mr. Peterson, a running back known for his personal and professional toughness, said he never thought about not playing, and while some commentators criticized the decision, his teammates and fellow athletes rallied to his side, saying the man should be permitted to seek whatever solace he could at such a time.
Mr. Peterson's father told reporters that the 2-year-old boy in Sioux Falls, S.D., was indeed Mr. Peterson's son, confirmed by DNA testing following the mother's realization that the boy was not the child of her ex-boyfriend.

The mother's new boyfriend, 27-year-old Joseph Patterson, who has a criminal history of battering women and their young children, is in jail on $750,000 bond in the case. Mr. Peterson, who may have known about his paternity for only a couple of months, had not seen the child until he visited him while the boy was on life support in the hospital.

In the days since the child's death, it has come to light that the unmarried Mr. Peterson may have had as many as five children by four different women. They include a 6-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy by his current girlfriend, a 4-year-old with a dancer in a "gentleman's club" in Dallas and a 3-month-old with a waitress in Minnesota. He is said to be providing financial support to those children.

This story continues at The Baltimore Sun