Adrian Peterson Discusses Locker Room Talk
By Adam Carlson
Nov 17, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) leads teammates out of the tunnel during pre game warm ups prior to the game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about what players say in the locker room to other players. Heck, some players have even gotten legal channels involved and served suspensions because of things they have said to teammates. However, Adrian Peterson says that a lot of the things that the media are shoving down our throats is every day talk for a lot of professional athletes.
Peterson spoke with Fox News about this issue and had this to say:
"Nov 3, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) with his helmet off returns to the huddle against the Dallas Cowboys at AT“There’s a couple guys – I could use myself as an example – that might throw that out there that’s not African-American and I don’t take it personally because I know where it comes from,” Peterson said. “Not to say that the use of the word should be out there, but it is what it is. It’s men. There’s no other, not even basketball where there’s so many guys in one space. Things like that happen. People say crazier things than just the n-word.”"
It’s not even just racial terms that are in the news, but that dominates a large part of the attention. Peterson went on to say that there are some things said in the locker room that would blow your mind:
"“There’s so much that’s said in the locker room that people would go crazy if they knew half of the things we say, but you know what, that’s the world we live in,” Peterson told Fox Sports. “Half the time it’€™s nothing that’s taken personally, and it’s not really a word that’s thrown out there a lot, especially by the opposite race.”"
So, next time you hear something about this in the media, remember that some of the things that you might hear in your experiences might differ completely from what is acceptable in the context of an NFL locker room. A lot of these guys are much more thick-skinned than many of the other people out there and know that it is just locker room tomfoolery that isn’t meant to be taken so seriously.