You might have been wondering what Adrian Peterson‘s been doing with his off-season. Apparently, he’s mostly been schmoozing. Here we see him at the 2008 NFL Player’s Gala featuring the JB Awards in Washington, D.C. Enrico Campitelli of FanHouse covered the event. Here’s his account of meeting the NFL Rookie of the Year:
"Purple Jesus was the first athlete to enter the media room while many of the reporters were still shuffling in. Now, I do spend quite a bit of time in front of a computer working on my typing skills, so my hands may not exactly be NFL tough. But I’m being completely honest in saying that when Adrian Peterson shook my hand, I was worried for a few seconds that a bone or two may have been broken. Without a doubt, the strongest handshake I think I will ever encounter."
Just about every announcer who did a Vikings game last year also noted how they thought their hand had been broken when Adrian shook it. The guy has a firm grip…we get it. Does no one have anything else to say about him?
Campitelli thought to ask Adrian his opinion of his nickname Purple Jesus. Adrian’s reply:
"I’m a Christian but if they want to call me that, I’ll let them do it."
So “Purple Jesus” sort of has Adrian’s seal of approval. That’s good. Would’ve been kind of unfortunate had someone said that name to him and he, I don’t know, broke their hand?
By the way Adrian…nice watch. It tells you the time in Hong Kong, plus if you’re ever stranded on a desert island, you can use it to signal low-flying satellites.