Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Shannon Sharpe haven't exactly been high on new Redskins running back Adrian Peterson's prospects in Washington. The two, who are now prominent media personalities over on FS1, believe that at 33 years old, Peterson is set for an inevitable decline.
Peterson was understandably not pleased upon hearing their sentiments about how the end of his career will pan out.
“Watching some of the things they said about me, man, it really hurt me to the core,” Peterson told USA Today. “Not only are they black men, but these are people I looked up to. And these are people that made mistakes, especially Cris Carter. So some of the things that came out of his mouth, not only personally, but about me as a player – aw, he’s washed up and this, that and the other, and he should just retire – how dare you.”
Carter went on to expound upon his opinion about Peterson by drawing from personal experience. Carter, who caught just eight passes in his 16th and final NFL season with the Miami Dolphins, thinks Peterson is bound to suffer a similar fate with Washington.
“Did you see me in a Dolphins uniform?” Carter told USA Today. “I had no business playing that season. I wouldn’t have admitted it, either. These guys get so sensitive about everything. Adrian had better get over himself. We were all great. But at the end, we all smelled like a baby’s diaper.”
In Carter’s defense, NFL stars don’t go out on a high very often. They eventually fall off a cliff at some point as they advance in age. This is especially true for running backs like Peterson given the tremendous wear and tear on their bodies. At 33 years of age, it seems unlikely that Peterson will be able to return to his best form again.
But Peterson clearly disagrees with Carter’s opinion that he will suffer the same dropoff, which is his right. It’ll now be up to him to prove Carter wrong by performing at a high level with Washington this year.
Follow Us
Subscribe