Peterson Exiled Because of Money, Not Morality [BLOG]
By: Martin Weiss
@MartinWeiss22
Fans look at sports as a place to learn the value of competition and character. Unfortunately, in the recent past, professional leagues such as the NFL and NBA have shown that money, not morality, is the biggest factor in decision making.
Early this morning, the news that Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had been placed on the "exempt/commissioner's permission list" broke, meaning that he can no longer be involved in team activities until further notice.
This was just one day after owners Zygi & Mark Wilf reinstated Peterson on Monday, after he did not play Sunday.
They released a statement, in part:
"Today's decision was made after significant thought, discussion and consideration. As evidenced by our decision to deactivate Adrian from yesterday's game, this is clearly a very important issue. On Friday, we felt it was in the best interests of the organization to step back, evaluate the situation, and not rush to judgment given the seriousness of this matter... At this time, however, we believe this is a matter of due process and we should allow the legal system to proceed so we can come to the most effective conclusions and then determine the appropriate course of action..."
So what changed from allowing Peterson due process on Monday, to in effect, ban him from the Vikings until further notice?
Money. Plain and simple.
Radisson suspended their limited sponsorship of the Vikings on Monday, after their company name was prominently displayed behind GM Rick Spielman and HC Mike Zimmer as they explained the decision to reinstate Peterson.
Others followed suit. Peterson was removed as a paid spokesperson for a pharmaceutical company. He was taken off the Wheaties website. Nike removed all Peterson items from their stores. Anheuser-Busch, one of the NFL's biggest sponsors, released a statement that didn't say anything about removing or suspending sponsorship, merely stating they don't agree with how the NFL has handled the many situations it has dealt with the past few weeks.
That's why -- less than two days after reinstatement -- Peterson is banished again. It's also the reason Ray Rice was suspended for two games until the video inside the elevator came out, as if anything differently could have happened based off the outcome of the original video with Rice dragging his lifeless fiancée out of the elevator.
It's not because these players became villains in the public eye. It's because sponsors either don't want to associate with a league that employs these types of people -- or for the more cynical -- sponsors see an opportunity to take a stand on a no-brainer public issue, making them look good without really affecting the relationship they have with the league.
Why haven't Greg Hardy and Ray McDonald felt the same type of criticism of Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson? While both are great players, Hardy especially, they aren't sponsors and spokespeople at the levels of Rice and Peterson. If they were, they would be blackballed just as quickly and publicly as the two running backs.
It's debatable if Donald Sterling would still be an owner of the Clippers had multiple companies not removed their sponsorships of the team. Sterling had been caught in numerous civil rights issues prior to the release of the voice mails that would be his downfall. Remember, Adam Silver did not impose Sterling's lifetime ban until after many businesses severed ties with the Clippers.
People blame the media coverage of these incidents for forcing owners and commissioners to act. Blame corporate America, because it's questionable if anything would have happened if there was no threat to the money these billionaires make.
The precedent has been set: Money, not morality, decides punishment. In professional sports, corporate America is the judge and jury.