Adrian Peterson’s incredibly fast recovery from a torn ACL and MCL left people shocked, impressed, amazed, and suspicious. The Minnesota Vikings running back tore two ligaments in late December 2011, yet he returned to play in Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season and proceeded to have one of the best seasons for a running back in league history … while playing through a sports hernia no less.
The reigning NFL MVP said last week that he’s looking forward to HGH testing in the league because he wants officials to catch the cheating players. The irony is that many believe Peterson was using some illegal substance that helped him recover from his major knee injury so quickly and perform so well. Peterson told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that he views those suspicions as a compliment.
Peterson said in the interview that he’s heard the suspicious folks on Twitter and on the field.
“A lot of it’s on Twitter. And of course I’ve heard it on the field,” Peterson told the Star Tribune. “One of the players from Detroit came up to me and said something funny. He didn’t say HGH specifically but he was like, ‘Man, whatever you’re on, let me know. I want to take some of that.’ You hear all sorts of speculation. … But for me, I’ve always approached that and looked at that and it gives me a pump. To me, it makes me feel good to know that people think I perform to a level where it was so spectacular that they think I was taking HGH. I say to myself, ‘Wow! God has really blessed me with the talent and intangibles to perform at that level.’ I don’t take it as an insult, I take it as a compliment.”
Peterson said he doesn’t need to use steroids or HGH because he is blessed with natural ability and works extremely hard.
“Not everybody can get by on natural ability. Not everybody is willing to put in the hard work. And there are a lot of guys who put in so much hard work and still don’t have that athletic ability to push them over that edge to keep them playing this game for a long time. So they’re always trying to find that supplement that can help them reach that next level. Look, I don’t know anything about HGH, ’roids, none of that. Because I have no use for it. But of course, in this world we’re living in, you hear about it. You know it’s being used. And taking HGH hasn’t been tested in the NFL. So I’m not stupid. I’m not blind to the fact that guys are using it. I can only control what I can control. And that’s me busting my butt and going out there and playing against those guys that are juiced up and still doing them in.”
Keep that comment in mind, because it’s the one people would throw back at Peterson Ryan Braun-style if he ever got busted using.
I still can’t believe what Peterson did. He rushed for an astounding 2,097 yards, which was already impressive enough. Then add in that he did that while returning early from a torn ACL and MCL, and it’s almost impossible to believe. Maybe he’s just one of those super healers like Kobe Bryant.
