Adrian Peterson reached a plea deal yesterday that allowed him to avoid jail time.
Now the question is what should happen to Peterson now that his case is over? One thing for sure: Peterson should not be punished any further and should be reinstated immediately.
Here are some things that should be taken into consideration.
First of all, Peterson had missed the first eight games of the season. Again, he has already missed half a season. And it appears the Vikings have moved on without him (more on that in a minute). So it’s not like Peterson would be let off of the hook here.
Second, he pleaded out to a misdemeanor charge, and had seemingly took ownership of his role in the child abuse case. I always say if a person shows contrition to his/her misdeeds, no matter how big or small, then his/her punishment should be discounted on the strength of that. Peterson apologized outside of the courtroom immediately after the trial ended, and the NFL should take that into consideration.
I think the combination of missing games and national embarrassment should be enough punishment for Peterson, save a fine. And speaking of which, I think the fine should not approach seven figures. Not for a misdemeanor.
However, I think NFL Commissioner/Warden/Playa Hater/Bitch-ass Roger Goodell, aka “Fraud-ger Goodevil”, will overreact to the public outcry and punish Peterson some more. Expect Goodell to add a few more games (I’m guessing three more games) and levy a fine in the neighborhood of $3 million.
Look, I know spanking is a controversial topic in this country.
There were some, like my wife, who were appalled at those photos of Peterson’s child’s lacerated legs. However there were others, like my relatives, who were like “what’s the big deal?” Those folks also wondered aloud on Facebook if we were raising a generation of “spoiled-ass kids”.
For the record, I was spanked when I was a child. A lot. And even though I wouldn’t put a belt or switch on my son, that does not mean that I had horrible parents. In fact, I feel as though I have the best parents in the world.
So will I pass judgment on parents who choose to spank their children? Of course not.
Would I criticize other parents who seem to over-cater and not effectively punish (in my eyes) their kids? Absolutely not.
No one – and I mean NO ONE – should be in the business of telling others how to raise their kids. That is why I think Goodevil should recuse himself from the child disciplining arena and let Peterson be.
If Goodevil doesn’t, that would be one slippery slope he wish he’d kept his ass of off.
Categories: NFL
Disciplining a child by spanking them is one thing…. Leaving lacerations that are visible on their legs is child abuse, not discipline. I was spanked as a child, but on my bottom and not to the extent that it left lacerations or bruises. IMO Adrian Peterson crossed the line that a responsible adult should’ve acted. I don’t see any difference between this and the Ray Rice case…. Abuse is abuse and offenders should have consequences.
This is no longer a debate about whether or not what Peterson did was a beating or corporal punishment, the case is over, it has been settled. Peterson has missed 8 games for a misdemeanor. He has lost endorsements and millions of dollars in revenue and been publicly embarrassed for months.
He has shown contrition and apologized publically. It’s time for people to get off of their moral soap boxes and let Peterson get back to work.