Veteran running back Adrian Peterson is reportedly deep in debt, despite the fact that he has earned over $100 million during his illustrious NFL career. According to Peterson's lawyer, Chase Carlson, AP's financial problems stem from him "trusting the wrong people and being taken advantage of by those he trusted."
“The truth behind Adrian Peterson’s current financial situation is more than is being reported at this time,” attorney Chase Carlson said in a statement. “Because of ongoing legal matters, I am unable to go into detail, but I will say this is yet another situation of an athlete trusting the wrong people and being taken advantage of by those he trusted. Adrian and his family look forward to sharing further details when appropriate.”
Carlson's statement comes in response to a recent report by The Athletic, in which they detailed how the 34-year old running back is being sued for failing to pay back a $5.2 million loan. The report states that Peterson took out the loan in an effort to pay off his debts, but ended up adding more debt in the process. He has already been ordered to pay $2.4 million to one creditor and an additional $600,000 to another.
Darren Heitner, the lawyer for the company suing Peterson, told The Athletic he has "no confidence" that Peterson will be able to repay the loan.
“It’s very concerning that he has existing liabilities,” Heitner said, “and that there are publicly announced large judgements against him. And so, you know, without even knowing whether he has the capacity to pay those debts … I have no confidence he’ll be able to make any other sort of payment.”
Peterson resigned with the Washington Redskins this off-season on a two-year, $5.03 million deal that includes $1.5M in guaranteed money. According to CBS Sports, he has already earned $99.22M during his 12 NFL seasons.