Adrian Peterson Makes Claim For Fastest Back In The NFL

NFL News - December 4th - Written by Jimmy

Star running back for the Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson was pulled over for driving 109 mph in a 55mph zone over the weekend on state highway 62 in Minnesota, which connects downtown Minneapolis with suburbs. Peterson, who has no prior off the field issues, admitted to the incident but cited he did not believe he was traveling that fast.

"But I know it was a speeding ticket, and that's what I got issued for," Peterson said when asked of the incident.

The traffic stop took place early Saturday evening, the day before the Vikings thrashing of division rival Chicago in which Peterson ran for 85 yards and one touchdown. Peterson told reporters he was heading to a hotel downtown that the team stays at the night before games.

In 2005, in an effort to increase tougher sanctions on driving, lawmakers in Minnesota approved a provision that mandates a six month license suspension for anyone cited for driving over 100mph.

"Mr. Peterson is going to be walking for a little while. That's an automatic suspension for anything over 100 mph," said Senator Steve Murphy in an interview, one of the lawmakers responsible for the new driving provisions. "Just because he can go 100 mph on the football field doesn't mean he needs to go 100 mph on our roads."

According to Minnesota police, it is at the discretion of the Officer issuing the citation to ticket a driver for reckless driving or simply speeding.

The police video in the car shows the traffic citation. Peterson cannot be seen in the video but can be heard. You can hear Peterson tell the officer why he was speeding, explaining to him he was heading to the hotel. Peterson says "I know it's not a valid excuse."

The issuing officer can then be heard thanking Peterson for pulling over and finished with "Good luck to you tomorrow."

When asked about the high speed incident involving his running back, Coach Brad Childress sideswiped making any direct comments.

"I don't know. I'd stay out of the police industry, if that in fact is true," Childress said when asked of the situation. "You got to take care of yourself. You can't put yourself in harm's way."

On the field, Peterson and the Vikings are 10-1 battling undefeated New Orleans for the best record NFC, and home field advantage for the playoffs. Peterson led the NFC as a rookie for the Vikings in 2007 rushing for a total of 1,341 yards. He then went on to lead the entire NFL in rushing last year eclipsing more than 1,700 yards. Currently, Peterson is third in the league in rushing this year.

The running game has opened up for him since the Vikings acquisition of QB Brett Favre this year. Next up for Minnesota are the Arizona Cardinals, a game in which the Minnesota Vikings are favored by 3 points according to the NFL Week 13 Betting Odds.