More Acknowlegement of Adrian Peterson's Helmet Removal

It couldn't have been too hard to tell how irate I was after the Packers vs. Vikings game, if you happened to come across my recap. One of the things I was upset about was Adrian Peterson's behavior after he scored the game winning touchdown, when I asked, "Someone remind me, isn't taking your helmet off on the field a 15-yard penalty?"

PFT did a little reviewing of the incident themselves, in which Florio concludes that "Minnesota’s 28-27 win carries almost as much tarnish as Denver’s Week Two win over San Diego." The incident occurs at the 2:35 mark of this video:



Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1(h), the removal of a helmet during or after the play except when in the bench area constitutes unsportsmanlike conduct.

Yeah, you could say that me writing this is nothing more than a bitter Packers fan grasping at straws after a tough defeat to the arch-rival. But had they thrown the flag, the Vikings would have been forced to kick off from their own 15-yard line, which would have completely changed the Packers' mindset heading into that final drive.

When I asked my one of my friends that somehow follow and root for the Vikings—I'm embarrassed to even have any—he simply shrugged it off and said, "Well, A.P. was out of bounds."

My take on this is that A.P. is one of the league's superstars, and the refs decided to look the other way on this one rather than irritate a proven hot head like Peterson.

It's too late to change anything now, and I realize that. But it's just another reason why the Vikings are the No. 1 team I hate in all of sports.