Former NFL MVP Arrested for Serious Crime

Former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson is facing more legal trouble after being arrested early Friday morning in Minnesota for DWI.

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the 40-year-old was pulled over around 3:20 a.m. when a state trooper clocked him going 83 mph in a 55 mph zone. When officers noticed signs of impairment, they asked Peterson to take a breathalyzer test. He registered a blood alcohol content of .14 — nearly double the legal limit of .08.

Peterson, a former Minnesota Vikings superstar, was booked into the Hennepin County Jail just after 5 a.m. and released a little over two hours later, at 7:31 a.m., according to jail records.

The timing made the situation even more embarrassing: just hours earlier, Peterson had been one of the featured guests at the Vikings’ draft party, where he even gave an interview on KFAN Radio.

Peterson is now facing a fourth-degree DWI charge, with his first court appearance scheduled for May 9.

Once one of the NFL’s most dominant players, Peterson spent 10 seasons with the Vikings after being drafted seventh overall in 2007. In 2012, he won NFL MVP honors after rushing for a staggering 2,097 yards — a total that still stands as the second-highest single-season rushing mark in league history. Peterson finished his career with 14,918 rushing yards, ranking fifth all-time.

This arrest is just the latest in a series of legal and financial issues for Peterson. In December, two arrest warrants were issued for him in Texas after he allegedly failed to appear in court for child support cases, although those warrants were rescinded in February. And last September, a court ordered him to turn over some of his biggest assets to pay off significant debts he had accumulated.

Despite his legendary status on the field, Peterson’s post-NFL years have been marked by personal and legal struggles — and this latest incident is only adding to a growing list.