The New York Post is about the last resource I would ever use or recommend for actual news or fact-based reporting. But even I am shocked and disgusted at the opinion piece written by Phil Mushnick and published by the Post. Maybe not SO shocked, after seeing his picture and seeing he's an old white guy.
Here's the link to his ridiculous opinion piece: http://nypost.com/2013/10/13/sons-death-doesnt-make-adrian-peterson-a-great-person/
And honestly, I don't know where to start. Ironically, the tragic murder of Adrian Peterson's son occurred during National Domestic Violence month. Mushnick alleges a bunch of things, only one of which has any semblance of truth: just because Peterson is a great football player doesn't mean he's a great player. That's true!! Millions of people in this world are great at a whole host of things, and are terrible people. There's millions of people who are adequate or even less-than-adequate at what they do, but are GREAT people. No one ever said being good at one's job and being a good person are a package deal.
Truth is that celebrities are judged based on their public persona. Whether it's an athlete or an actor or a singer or a politician, we assume people are how they are portrayed in the media.
The first half of Mushnick's rant is really quite stupid. Apparently, doing charity work is not special, he speeds even though his brother was killed due to a reckless driver, and he and some friends got into a bit of trouble when they didn't leave a club right at 2 AM. Petty and stupid.
But it's the rest of the opinion piece that is disturbing. Mushnick makes a negative reference to the fact that the mother of this baby was Peterson's "baby mama". I guess if she was referred to as an ex-girlfriend, it would make it all ok?
Mushnick also judges Peterson for playing football, just a couple days after the death of his son, saying he (Peterson) should be angry and take a day or two or a whole week off to grieve.
Hmmmm. I am, and will always be, a Packers fan. I will never EVER forget the Monday night game between the Packers and the Oakland Raiders the day after Brett Favre lost his father to a heart attack. Torrey Smith played just hours after his baby brother was killed in a motorcycle accident. Peterson chose to play after the death of his son.
Everyone is different, and how people grieve differs from person to person. Professional athletes have often talked about how playing their sport gives them some respite from their personal pain. It offers them a small window of time where they can focus on something else. We can't give this man 3 hours to maybe escape what is undoubtedly one of the absolute worst pains any person could ever experience? Does anyone DISAGREE that it's unnatural for a parent to bury their child?
Next, Mushnick takes the deplorable position that this is Peterson's fault, albeit indirectly. After all, he's got millions of dollars and surely could have made sure that his son was not allowed to be in a dangerous environment. He must not have cared that his ex had moved herself and their son in with a violent man. Apparently, Peterson had the opportunity (thanks to his $96 million contract) to provide a safe home for his son and chose not to.
Such harsh judgment from this Mushnick guy... when reports are that it was only 3 months ago that Peterson was even told about the existence of this boy. I don't know what happened in these past three months. I don't know if it's even true. Maybe he knew about this kid all along. Maybe he did fail his son. Maybe.... maybe not. Who am I to judge? And who is this Mushnick guy to judge?
Bottom line is the tone, the words of this piece are clearly racist. What "we" are to take away from this piece is that at the end of the day, Adrian Peterson is just another wealthy, professional black athlete with baby mamas and babies out there that he can't be bothered to support or protect. And how dare we, the rest of the world, extend our condolences.
I am ashamed of this "writer" and disgusted by this so-called newspaper. The bottom line, IMO, is that we have a 2 year old boy who was beaten to death. That's really all that matters, and I will not take back the compassion and sympathies extended not only to Adrian Peterson, but to everyone who knew and loved this little boy. I will not minimize whatever feelings Peterson may be feeling... they are his and his alone, and he has the right to them. And I will not judge Peterson, or his ex, or even Joseph Patterson.
I judge, and judge harshly, Phil Mushnick and the New York Post.
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