NFL Icon Adrian Peterson Faces Second DWI Arrest This Year

Adrian Peterson, a celebrated figure in Minnesota Vikings history, has reportedly been taken into custody for the second time in half a year for driving under the influence, as per recent reports.

The 40-year-old former NFL MVP was apprehended in Sugar Land, Texas, at around 10 a.m. on Sunday. TMZ reports that he faces two charges related to driving while intoxicated and an additional charge for unlawfully carrying a weapon.

Peterson is originally from Palestine, Texas, a small town roughly three hours north of Sugar Land. The reasons for his presence in the area remain unclear.

This incident marks Peterson’s second DWI-related arrest this year, following a previous incident in April after he attended a Vikings Draft event.

On April 24, following the draft’s first round, Peterson was pulled over at 3:20 a.m. A state trooper accused him of exceeding the speed limit by nearly 30 mph.

Peterson reportedly blew a blood alcohol content of .14 when he was breathalyzed.

Just two months later in June, footage emerged capturing Peterson getting into a fist fight during a poker game in Houston, Texas.

The video, obtained by TMZ , shows the 40-year-old Peterson squaring up with a fellow poker player over a hand at the JokerStars social club back on May 27.

Peterson told TMZ that he and a friend were involved in a disagreement while at a table.

Eventually, ‘one thing led to another’ and the pair raised their fists at each other.

Video shows Peterson and his buddy throwing punches for several seconds, despite one person trying to separate them.

The former running back ate a number of punches to the face at the beginning of the scrap, but he eventually got back at his counterpart with some haymakers.

TMZ says that bloody wounds were visible on the faces of both people involved. However, Peterson claims his injury came from falling into a chair rather than a punch.

While alcohol was involved, Peterson told the outlet that wasn’t the only reason the situation escalated.

‘Me and the guy, we’re cool,’ Peterson said. ‘We’ve known each other. It was literally like a brother situation. We agreed to disagree, we had our words, and we threw blows — and that was it.’

Peterson added: ‘I felt really bad. It’s a situation where I kind of regret it.’

The outlet says that police were not called and are not investigating. The club did not punish either person involved.

Considered one of the greatest NFL running backs of all-time, Peterson was a seven-time Pro Bowler while in Minnesota.

He made history in 2012 as he rushed for 2,097 yards – the second-highest mark of all-time in a single season.

Peterson would later suit up for the likes of the Saints, Cardinals, Commanders, Lions, Titans and Seahawks, and last played in the 2021 season.

He has faced numerous off-field legal troubles both during and after his career.

In 2014, Peterson pled no contest to a misdemeanor charge of recklessly assaulting his son after using a tree branch – known as a ‘switch’ to beat him on his back, buttocks, genitals, ankles, and legs as a punishment. Peterson was punished in a similar manner in his own childhood.

The running back was put on probation and fined $4,000 while avoiding a jail sentence. The NFL placed him on unpaid suspension until spring 2015.

In February 2022, he was arrested by the LAPD for a domestic violence incident with his wife on a flight from Los Angeles to Houston. After posting bond, his wife said that he did not put his hands on her – rather they had a verbal argument. The charges were dropped.