HOUSTON — Adrian Peterson, the former Minnesota Vikings star running back and NFL MVP, has been ordered by a Texas judge to turn over personal assets to pay off a $12 million debt.
Peterson’s debt stems from a $5.2 million business loan he took out in 2016. That loan has more than doubled to $12 million due to interest and fees, AP reports.
A court-appointed receiver, Robert Berleth, asked a judge in July to be accompanied by authorities to Peterson’s Houston area home so he can inventory assets to be sold off in order to repay the debt.
“The receiver requests constable accompaniment when receiver levies the numerous assets known to be stored at (the property) to keep the peace and prevent interference with the Receiver’s duties,” Berleth said in his court filing.
The judge granted that request on Monday via court order.
“It is, therefore, ordered that a writ of turnover with receiver’s levy be issued and Ft. Bend County constables are to accompany the receiver in execution of his duties,” the court order stated.
In 2016 while with the Vikings, Peterson suffered a knee injury that forced him to miss all but three games, which led the team to decline to pick up his $18 million option for the following season.
In October of that year, Peterson took out the $5.2 million loan with an agreement to pay it back with interest in March 2017. The loan was taken out to help finance a business co-owned by Peterson, his then-financial adviser Jeff Wiseman and another partner, according to Denise White, the CEO of Peterson’s public relations firm, The Washington Post reports. However, Peterson was made to be the sole guarantor of the debt as the majority owner of the company.
Peterson, 39, made more than $103 million during his 15-year NFL career from 2007 to 2021.
He played his first 10 NFL seasons with the Vikings, which drafted him seventh overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. In 2012, Peterson was named the AP Most Valuable Player after rushing for 2,097 yards – eight short of the NFL all-time record 2,105 set by Los Angeles Rams Eric Dickerson in 1984 – and 12 touchdowns. He earned seven Pro Bowl selections, four First Team All-Pro selections and three Second Team All-Pro honors during his 10 seasons in Minnesota.
Following his time with the Vikings, Peterson split the 2017 season with the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals before playing two seasons for Washington in 2018 and 2019. He played one season for the Detroit Lions in 2020 before splitting his final season in 2021 with the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks.
Peterson finished his NFL career with 14,918 rushing yards and 120 rushing touchdowns, which ranks fifth and fourth all-time in NFL history, as well as 305 receptions for 2,474 yards and six touchdowns.
