Adrian Peterson made headlines last week when he pledged to donate at least $100,000 for flood relief efforts in his hometown of Palestine, Texas.
The Vikings running back talked with Peter King about supporting those in need and how much he wants to help the Vikings win a Super Bowl for King's weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column.
"That's my neighborhood, where that happened," Peterson told King. "One of the people who died was my high school football teammate. Two of the little kids that died played on the All-Day bantam football team that I sponsor. I'm just shocked, hurt right down to my heart."
The Vikings all-time leader rusher has 11,675 career rushing yards and 97 career rushing touchdowns. He talked about his longevity and possibly playing until he's 40 years old.
That would be historic, obviously. And highly unlikely. But just in case, consider that Peterson starts this season 6,681 yards behind Emmitt Smith for the all-time rushing record. That's five years, averaging 1,337 yards per season, away from passing Smith.
Peterson covered a handful of other topics in a 50-minute interview with King including German-born wide receiver Moritz Boehringer, the rise of younger running backs in the league, adding another rushing title or two to his three current crowns and opening a gym in Texas.
But Peterson's final words to King centered on his lofty expectations for Minnesota's 2016 season.
"We are going to have a good chance to win it this year — win everything," he said. "Sit back and watch. Sit back and watch. You can be like, 'I thought you guys were at least a couple of years away.' Nope. You sit back and watch, this year."
Diggs, Treadwell listed among likely future top-selling jerseys
The NFL Players Association believes a pair of Vikings wide receivers are ready to be stars among the league's best-selling jerseys.
The NFLPA released its annual Rising 50 List and included Stefon Diggs and Laquon Treadwell.
Diggs, who led the Vikings in catches (52) and yards (720) as a rookie in 2015, was listed at No. 33.
Treadwell, Minnesota's 2016 first-round pick, made the list at No. 45.
Through the early identification of players on the Rising 50 list, the NFLPA provides its existing and prospective business partners – including licensees, retailers and sponsors – with valuable insight to plan future product lines and marketing campaigns.
The NFLPA Rising 50 rankings take into account on-field performances during the 2015 season, fantasy-league popularity, early demand from current sponsors and licensees, and new faces in strong markets as factors determining potential future sales popularity. To be considered for this ranking, players must not have appeared in previous NFLPA Top 50 Player Sales quarterly lists. The NFLPA Rising 50 is updated annually.
Football came easy to Alexander after working in fruit groves
The story behind Mackensie Alexander's upbringing in Immokalee, Florida, has been well-documented after the cornerback was a second-round draft pick.
Alexander recently talked with Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune about his background, and said a football practice wasn't nearly as demanding as spending long hours under the sun picking tomatoes and oranges.
Alexander's parents, Jean and Marie, along with his older brother left Haiti in the 1980s in search of a better living in the United States. They settled in Immokalee, joined the swarming, underpaid masses in the fields and in 1993 they welcomed twin boys, Mackensie and Mackenro, into the world.
The typical workday in the field for his parents, whose native language is Creole and who still speak little English, started at 4 a.m. and grinded on until between 8 or 10 at night. They worked six days a week, the two of them earning $50 per day combined. Marie also worked at a packing house.
"If I wasn't up late, I wouldn't see them," said Mackensie, who plans to use part of his NFL earnings to convince them to work a little less.
