There was a time when seeing Adrian Peterson's name in headlines was a great thing. The former Minnesota Vikings running back holds many rushing records and was in the spotlight for many years as the face of the team.
Sadly, things have changed surrounding Peterson, and hearing his name in the news these days is never a good thing. The 40-year-old former Viking is making a habit of making poor decisions that lead to bad situations.
Former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson can't stop making poor decisions.
Peterson's name returned to the news on Thursday when TMZ Sports shared a video on X of former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson getting in an altercation with another player at the poker table.
Former #NFL superstar #AdrianPeterson got into a fistfight with a poker player following a dispute over a hand ... and #TMZSports has obtained video of the tussle. pic.twitter.com/WdhcZFHwBt
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) June 19, 2025
According to TMZ Sports, the video was recorded on May 27 in Houston, Texas, at a social club called JokerStars. There was an attempt to keep Peterson and the other player separated, but the dispute boiled over, and punches ended up being thrown.
It seems like things are alright now, as Peterson told TMZ that that although punches were thrown, the two guys are "cool" and the situation didn't elevate past that.
"Me and the guy, we're cool," Peterson said. "We've known each other. It was literally like a brother situation. We agreed to disagree, we had our words, and we threw blows -- and that was it."
This adds to the pile of poor choices Adrian Peterson has made in the public eye. Listing all his financial, legal, and civil issues in this article would take a while, but Vikings fans are well aware of his problems.
It would be great to remember Adrian Peterson as the dominating running back who regularly made highlight runs and gave Minnesota fans hope. However, his legacy is being tarnished in a bad way with the barrage of negativity surrounding him.
"I felt really bad," Peterson said. "It's a situation where I kind of regret it."
According to TMZ, the police were not called and neither man received any punishment for their actions. While he might not face any legal repercussions for the incident, it is a poor relection upon his character.
Minnesota Vikings fans have to hope that Adrian Peterson will clean up his act and stop showing up in headlines that cast a negative light on him or the organization. Only time will tell if he can get it all figured out.