Former Commanders RB, NFL MVP in Another Bizarre Off-Field Incident

There’s another sad — and weird — chapter to the ongoing post-NFL life of former Washington Commanders running back and 2012 NFL Most Valuable Player Adrian Peterson.

TMZ posted a video of Peterson on June 19 that showed him engaged in an alcohol-fueled fistfight over a poker game in Houston, Texas, that occurred on May 27.

In the fight, Peterson and another man trade blows, with Peterson getting the worst of it at the beginning as he falls and appears to hit his head on a chair. Peterson recovers from the fall, gets up, and starts to get the upper hand, landing several punches before the fight is broken up.

From TMZ: “The shocking scene unfolded back on May 27 … while Peterson and others were playing cards at JokerStars — a social club in Houston, Texas … Peterson tells us … he and one of his buddies were involved in a disagreement while at a gaming table, ‘one thing led to another,’ and they squared up.”

It’s just the latest in an ongoing series of bad headlines for a player who should be a first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer when he’s eligible in 2027.

“I felt really bad,” Peterson told TMZ about the fight, adding that the man he was fighting with was one of his friends. “It’s a situation where I kind of regret it.”

One Problem After Another for Former NFL MVP

Peterson’s fisticuffs over a poker game are the third time he’s landed in the headlines in the last year — and none of it has been good.

In September 2024, a judge in Houston ordered Peterson, a Texas native, to forfeit assets at his Missouri City, Texas, home over an estimated $12 million debt. The judge assigned a court-appointed receiver and constables to go to the home to ensure a peaceful transfer of assets.

From ESPN: “Peterson’s debt issues began when he took out a loan for $5.2 million from a Pennsylvania lending company in 2016. The sum has grown due to interest and attorney’s fees, leading to an $8.3 million judgment against him in 2021.”

According to the court’s ruling, no payments have been made on the debt in the last 3 years. Peterson, who made approximately $103 million in career earnings, hasn’t played in the NFL since spending 2021 with the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks.

DUI Arrest Following 2025 NFL Draft Party

Peterson was arrested in Minneapolis in the early-morning hours of April 25 and charged with driving under the influence after he attended a public draft party for the Minnesota Vikings.

Peterson played for the Vikings from 2007 to 2016 and was named NFL Most Valuable Player in 2012, when he rushed for 2,097 yards — one of just 9 players in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in the regular season.

From ESPN’s Kevin Seifert: “Peterson had attended the Minnesota Vikings‘ public draft party Thursday night at U.S. Bank Stadium. He was received into custody at 5:16 a.m. CST and released on a $4,000 bond at 7:31 a.m. CST. The charge is a misdemeanor. Peterson’s next scheduled court date is May 9 in Minneapolis.”

Peterson played 2 seasons with the Commanders in 2018 and 2019. The last 1,000-yard rushing season of his career came with Washington in 2018, when he started all 16 games and ran for 1,042 yards and 7 touchdowns.