The Washington Football team made a surprise decision on Friday morning to release veteran running back Adrian Peterson. And if you followed the team’s social media activity the night before, you probably found the move to be even more of a head-scratcher.
Peterson was informed on Friday that he has been release. Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network first reported the news, and it was later confirmed by the team. Just 12 hours before that, Peterson shared a photo of himself on Twitter working hard at training camp. Washington retweeted it.
Washington retweeted this just 12 hours before cutting Peterson. Ouch pic.twitter.com/6X6DuxOQHL
— Steve DelVecchio (@SteveDelSports) September 4, 2020
The timing was obviously just an unfortunate coincidence. NFL teams have social media managers that run their accounts, and those people usually have no idea which players are on the verge of being released.
Washington’s young backs have reportedly been impressive in training camp, which is why the 35-year-old Peterson became the odd man out. Third-round pick Antonio Gibson and former Stanford star Bryce Love are expected to see significant playing time. Washington had to part ways with Derrius Guice following a disturbing arrest last month, but they are clearly pleased with their running back depth.
Peterson said recently that he is nowhere close to considering retirement. He should be able to find another job ahead of Week 1.
