Peterson earns empathy, scrutiny

Adrian Peterson, heralded NFL running back with the Minnesota Vikings, gained national attention last week – and not by breaking free for big yards.

Peterson’s two-year-old son was apparently beaten and killed by his mother’s boyfriend, Joseph Patterson, who previously was hit with domestic assault and abuse charges.

The media report that Peterson was the boy’s biological father, but never had an active role in the child’s life. The son, Tyrese Robert Doohen, was pronounced dead on Oct. 11. Peterson’s visit to the hospital was reportedly their first meeting.

Now, it’s truly sad for the wrongful death of a child, a senseless crime. Is Adrian Peterson at all responsible? Did he have the means to help create a better life for the boy? Is the mom guilty and at fault, for leaving a boyfriend in charge of an infant?

Or is the issue a larger one?

Do you, as a fan, hold professional athletes accountable for not taking an active role in their kids’ lives? There have been other football and basketball players gracing their sport with grace and poise, but taking a play or two off when it comes to being an active parent.

Ray Lewis, two-time NFL champion and a man I supported in his last season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2012, is reported to have six kids, by an unknown number of mothers.

Shawn Kemp, former star with the NBA’s Seattle Supersonics, reportedly has seven children by six different women. Retired heavyweight boxer Evander Holyfield takes the cake with a brood of 11 children, by an unknown number of mothers.

In some cultures, it is a practice to have more than one family, as long as you provide for that family and lead a lifestyle similar to those of the families.

That is not what happens with highly paid athletes. The real story is not something we are privileged to most times, due to secrecy and publicity concerns and editing for television. Just like in the Peterson case, uncomfortable facts do not come out until a tragedy occurs.

The death of this young child is not a direct result of anything Peterson did. As far as we know, the mother may not have wanted his involvement, or a relationship.

Any father will feel the sadness of a loss of child.  However, when you never knew your child, how many of the tears shed are heartfelt?

The career of a professional athlete affords many men the ability to hand pick a date, whenever they want.

But, sports, like all things, do not substitute for fulfilling the duty of being a father.