Ahead of Adrian Peterson's return to Minnesota on Sunday, there should be no hard football-related feelings between the future Hall of Fame back and the city he played in for 10 years.
Peterson may have sealed the deal on Thursday by detailing his brutal climb back from surgery on his torn meniscus last year. Peterson was injured the second week of the season and managed to return for a Week 14 matchup as the Vikings were trying to recover from a vicious freefall in the standings.
Via The Star-Tribune:
"Last year I tore 90 percent of my meniscus. All the advice I was getting was if you cut this out, you'll be bone on bone. If you have surgery to repair it, there's a 50 percent chance for the meniscus to heal.
"I got the surgery and was told a six to eight month recovery. So the talks from within everyone from the team was 'well, you can start the rehab and get ready to come back for OTAs, minicamp depending on the healing process.' That's what they were telling me.
"I was like, no, I believe in a higher power and I want to get out there and help my team win. I'm going to get the meniscus repaired and I'm going to call up the people I know, whether it's the blood flow restriction therapy or hyperbaric chamber or stem cells that I was able to get done or the ozone therapy I did. This all came out of my pocket. I was doing this every week, spending $10,000 a week to get back out there in the hope of us making it to the playoffs.
"I didn't sit back and say I'm just going to collect a check. I was fighting, 'Hey, no, put me on the injured reserve list to return.' You know?"
Peterson's New Orleans legacy remains to be seen. Whether this is a dawn out farewell tour or an unexpected comeback season for the ages, it doesn't change the singular force that Peterson was in Minnesota over six Pro Bowl seasons. AP topped 1,400 rushing yards three times, including 2012, when he nearly broke the single-season rushing record with 2,097 yards.
If all that doesn't deserve a round of applause in Minneapolis, Peterson is unsure what will.