OT: Developing Adrian Peterson Backstory

[RockyMTblue2]

This story is just one little illustration of the "culture" of sport which has had me drop most professional sports from my must sees. New York Post is reporting that Adrian Peterson did not see his 2 year old son until the child was on life support in the hospital. Unlike some earlier reports, it turns out that the mother had been married to someone else when the child was conceived and as the Post dryly observed Peterson has "at least" 2 other children with two other women.

http://nypost.com/2012/10/13/adrian-peterson-saw

 

[DaddyChoc]

typical of some professional athletes... and the groupies who love them

 

[ThisJustIn]

typical of some men...

 

[vtcwbuff]

typical of some men...

Typical of some women.

 

[Icebear]

Just too typical all the way around.

The tragedy and what is being lost is the life of a 2 year old.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Yes, the tragedy is the loss of a 2-year old boy. The other tragedy is that the child's mother's sperm donor (i.e. Peterson) never thought enough of the boy to even see him for a minute. Not sure why any of the press is portraying this as a tragedy for Adrian Peterson however. I imagine for him it's just a minor inconvenience in preparing for tomorrow's game.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Yes, the tragedy is the loss of a 2-year old boy. The other tragedy is that the child's mother's sperm donor (i.e. Peterson) never thought enough of the boy to even see him for a minute. Not sure why any of the press is portraying this as a tragedy for Adrian Peterson however. I imagine for him it's just a minor inconvenience in preparing for tomorrow's game.

mama allowed him to be a "sperm donor" and he didnt mind making a deposit into her bank

 

[calpedaler]

mama allowed him to be a "sperm donor" and he didnt mind making a deposit into her bank

By all means trivialize a 2 year old child's beating death.

 

[DaddyChoc]

By all means trivialize a 2 year old child's beating death.

thanks (shrugs, read it anyway you wish)

 

[meyers7]

The other tragedy is that the child's mother's sperm donor (i.e. Peterson) never thought enough of the boy to even see him for a minute.

Not really to defend Peterson, but if you read the article linked, Peterson did not find out this son was he until a couple months ago. And then made/was making arrangements to meet him. (of course this whole report is from TMZ....sooo..)

The real tragedy here is not really the mother or Peterson, but the idiot who beat a 2 year old to death.

 

[ctchamps]

The real tragedy is the innocent victim. The last moments for that 2 year old were moments of suffering from an act of physical violence. I can only imagine the pain and fear that little one went through at the end of his far too short time in this world.

The man who committed the violence will have to live with that the rest of his life. If he has any decency he will suffer from his act until he dies. If not I fear he was born without a conscience or it was driven out of him.

 

[UcMiami]

The real tragedy here is that this happens way too frequently in our society and we only really notice it when it happens in connection to some celebrity's extended sphere. We have become inured to the violence around us - gun violence, the body count has to be pretty high to garner attention, domestic violence - need a celebrity or a very young victim (or both) to make us pay attention.
Casual sex has been the norm in our society for a long time and yet we still battle about who and how people will get access to birth control. And too many people who can barely take care of themselves become parents incapable of properly raising their child. I don't see an easy solution and part of the problem is a majority would appear to prefer pretending the issues do not exist or blame it on some 'other' sector of society. And the Puritan strain we inherited from our ancestors does not help us pursue some avenues, just as puritan ideal of prohibition was a terrible solution to a national drinking problem that we still pay for today in organized crime.
I hope that was not too political a response

 

[zls44]

It's not as bad as you'd think in this case. The mother never thought Peterson was the father, and when she went to him to try and determine who the father was, Peterson tried to become involved. He was supposed to finally meet him later this month.

 

[ChrisSmith]

First, it's an absolute tragedy for the child. The abuser is a monster, and hopefully he never steps foot outside prison again.

With that said, I was wondering if I was the only one a bit disappointed in Peterson. When you're an absentee father and leave children skattered across the country, the children are more likely to be in these kind of situations. The research I have read suggests that children who grow up in households with non-paternal father figures are much more likely to be the victims of abuse. Peterson has had every educational and monetary opportunity available. I'm disappointed that he has not been more responsible sexually.

This story is just one little illustration of the "culture" of sport which has had me drop most professional sports from my must sees. New York Post is reporting that Adrian Peterson did not see his 2 year old son until the child was on life support in the hospital. Unlike some earlier reports, it turns out that the mother had been married to someone else when the child was conceived and as the Post dryly observed Peterson has "at least" 2 other children with two other women.

http://nypost.com/2012/10/13/adrian-peterson-saw

 

[mauconnfan]

First, it's an absolute tragedy for the child. The abuser is a monster, and hopefully he never steps foot outside prison again.

With that said, I was wondering if I was the only one a bit disappointed in Peterson. When you're an absentee father and leave children skattered across the country, the children are more likely to be in these kind of situations. The research I have read suggests that children who grow up in households with non-paternal father figures are much more likely to be the victims of abuse. Peterson has had every educational and monetary opportunity available. I'm disappointed that he has not been more responsible s e xually.

Agreed but Mom has a choice not to be a groupie also right?

Reality is this whole story is about some monster who gets off beating up a 2 year old!!

 

[RadyLady]

the reality is that there is a little boy who will never...

he is dead, beaten to death, the poor lamb....

 

[RockyMTblue2]

First, it's an absolute tragedy for the child. The abuser is a monster, and hopefully he never steps foot outside prison again.

With that said, I was wondering if I was the only one a bit disappointed in Peterson. When you're an absentee father and leave children skattered across the country, the children are more likely to be in these kind of situations. The research I have read suggests that children who grow up in households with non-paternal father figures are much more likely to be the victims of abuse. Peterson has had every educational and monetary opportunity available. I'm disappointed that he has not been more responsible s e xually.

You aren't the only one. The percentage of black children raised without a father figure is staggering, but it is politically incorrect to recognize it or find any "teachable moments" to try to reverse the trend.

 

[ThisJustIn]

=s politically incorrect to recognize it

Really? Boy, have you missed the boat.

 

[Icebear]

You aren't the only one. The percentage of black children raised without a father figure is staggering, but it is politically incorrect to recognize it or find any "teachable moments" to try to reverse the trend.

Rocky there are actually dozens if not hundreds of programs trying to address that issue. Black churches have been addressing the situation for a generation.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Rocky there are actually dozens if not hundreds of programs trying to address that issue. Black churches have been addressing the situation for a generation.

Well aware. But programs have not brought improvement. My point is that it has not been part of a national dialogue and nothing has helped as the %es keep climbing.

 

[Kibitzer]

Here in Norwalk we have a classic conundrum.

Calvin Murphy was a legendary HS BB player. Simply fantastic. He continued at Niagara U, then on to more stardom in the NBA. Set records for free throws and was a spectacular player for a long and successful career.

Also was a world class baton twirler, so much so that if they had this as an Olympic competition, he would have been conceded the gold medal.

He was revered in Norwalk and greatly admired in Houston, where he had a PR job with the city and was a TV broadcaster. And he got into some trouble there with his scheduling.

Meanwhile, here in Norwalk the roadway leading to Norwalk High was officially named Calvin Murphy Way.

Then came some court cases (a couple of his children charged neglect) and the story came out. Calvin had purportedly fathered 14 kids by 9 mothers!

And, to this day and to the dismay of most citizens, to get to Norwalk High School, you must drive up Calvin Murphy Way.

Sad.

 

[Icebear]

Well aware. But programs have not brought improvement. My point is that it has not been part of a national dialogue and nothing has helped as the %es keep climbing.

I think the general climate in the whole culture has only made the problem worse among segments that already have had problems. Because of that I don't think its unaddressable due to political correctness. There is a lot of talking about it but not much that has been effective as you observe.

 

[FairView]

Here in Norwalk we have a classic conundrum.

Calvin Murphy was a legendary HS BB player. Simply fantastic. He continued at Niagara U, then on to more stardom in the NBA. Set records for free throws and was a spectacular player for a long and successful career.

Also was a world class baton twirler, so much so that if they had this as an Olympic competition, he would have been conceded the gold medal.

He was revered in Norwalk and greatly admired in Houston, where he had a PR job with the city and was a TV broadcaster. And he got into some trouble there with his scheduling.

Meanwhile, here in Norwalk the roadway leading to Norwalk High was officially named Calvin Murphy Way.

Then came some court cases (a couple of his children charged neglect) and the story came out. Calvin had purportedly fathered 14 kids by 9 mothers!

And, to this day and to the dismay of most citizens, to get to Norwalk High School, you must drive up Calvin Murphy Way.

Sad.

I don't believe that most citizens of Norwalk have a problem with Calvin Murphy at all – a few may, but certainly not most. I am a graduate of Norwalk High, class of 1975. Although I have moved away, my brother remains active in the community and the school as a coach of high school and youth sports and I still have strong ties with other family and friends in the community. So I still have a solid connection. When I talked to my friends in the community during the Murphy abuse accusations they were at first stunned and then shattered. But then, as the case rolled out, we learned that there was in fact no abuse. It was an extortion scheme and Calvin was exonerated. I believe it is important to point that out -- Calvin did not abuse his kids. People have different reactions to Calvin's 14 kids -- from disgust to disbelieve to amusement to not caring. But I've heard very few people calling for changing the name of Calvin Murphy way. A few letters in the Norwalk Hour are not representative of the community. In fact, some people complained when the street sign was taken down during his court proceedings and saw it as a rush to judgement. So while there may be a few people who have a problem with Calvin's lifestyle, I believe it is grossly inaccurate to say "to the dismay of most citizens."

 

[Kibitzer]

I don't believe that most citizens of Norwalk have a problem with Calvin Murphy at all – a few may, but certainly not most. I am a graduate of Norwalk High, class of 1975. Although I have moved away, my brother remains active in the community and the school as a coach of high school and youth sports and I still have strong ties with other family and friends in the community. So I still have a solid connection. When I talked to my friends in the community during the Murphy abuse accusations they were at first stunned and then shattered. But then, as the case rolled out, we learned that there was in fact no abuse. It was an extortion scheme and Calvin was exonerated. I believe it is important to point that out -- Calvin did not abuse his kids. People have different reactions to Calvin's 14 kids -- from disgust to disbelieve to amusement to not caring. But I've heard very few people calling for changing the name of Calvin Murphy way. A few letters in the Norwalk Hour are not representative of the community. In fact, some people complained when the street sign was taken down during his court proceedings and saw it as a rush to judgement. So while there may be a few people who have a problem with Calvin's lifestyle, I believe it is grossly inaccurate to say "to the dismay of most citizens."

You are entirely correct about the extortion business.

The big display case in the lobby that contained Calvin's memorabilia (jerseys, photos, autographed stuff, basketballs, etc.) was removed. I won't take a poll about the feelings in the community about Calvin Murphy Way so I would alter my verbiage to say "many" citizens rather than "most."

The sadness results from Calvin's former stature as a genuine local hero being reduced in an embarrassing way because of his apparent inability to deal responsibly with the amorous advances of many young groupies, a challenge shared by a great many sports figures.

I hasten to mention that this is a cultural issue, not a racial one.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I think the general climate in the whole culture has only made the problem worse among segments that already have had problems. Because of that I don't think its unaddressable due to political correctness. There is a lot of talking about it but not much that has been effective as you observe.

A large part of the reason that all the talk has not led to a solution is the unwillingness to address the underlying problems. IMO that's where the political correctness lies.