Former NFL MVP running back Adrian Peterson is once again facing legal trouble in Texas, this time after two warrants were issued for his arrest in connection with his failure to appear in court for two different child support cases.
The former Minnesota Vikings star earned more than $100 million in his NFL career from 2007 to 2021 and is considered a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. But this week, arrest warrants were issued in Fort Bend County, Texas, outside Houston, where Peterson also faced property seizures to pay off a debt of more than $12 million.
“The current lawsuit relates to a misunderstanding regarding Adrian's courtroom appearances when it comes to child support, and he is actively working with his legal team to resolve this matter as quickly as possible,” his publicist Denise White said in a statement. “He is committed to clarifying this situation and moving forward positively.”
In an unrelated case, he pleaded no contest in October to a misdemeanor charge after being accused of hitting a woman from behind in May in the same county. He was ordered to pay a $500 fine without jail time in that case, according to court records.
Adrian Peterson's NFL upside comes into play
In the separate child support cases, the province this week issued capia orders against him. These differ from traditional arrest warrants that require a finding that there is sufficient evidence to believe he committed a crime. In this case, the capias orders relate to his failure to appear in court on these matters earlier this month.
“TO EVERY PEACE OFFICER OF THE STATE OF TEXAS – GREETINGS,” one of the orders reads. “YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO ARREST: ADRIAN LEWIS PETERSON, located in your county, and to keep ADRIAN LEWIS PETERSON in safe custody, so that you may have ADRIAN LEWIS PETERSON before the Honorable 328th Judicial District Court of Fort Bend County, Texas, before the Court House of said province… and there to answer for their inability to appear for CIVIL NON-ASSISTANCE on December 5, 2024 for the 328th Judicial District Court, as ordered.”
The two child support cases listed Minnesota women as custodial parents. In one of the cases, a judge signed a qualified domestic relations order Monday establishing the child's right to a share of Peterson's NFL child support benefits. The warrants were issued with separate $9,500 and $7,500 cash bonds.
The larger debt case involving Adrian Peterson
In another case in September, a Houston judge ordered him to turn over numerous assets to help pay debts estimated at more than $12 million. That debt stemmed from a $5.2 million loan he took out from a Pennsylvania lender in 2016 but failed to repay. A court-appointed receiver has tried to seize his assets to repay that debt and even intercepted an auction of his NFL trophies and apparel earlier this year, according to court records.
Peterson, 39, blamed that case on his former financial advisor, who could not be reached by USA TODAY Sports. Peterson said in a statement in September that this was not a personal loan, but a business loan that the financial advisor guaranteed would be repaid from a company he co-owned with the financial advisor and another partner.
But the promissory note with the lender only lists Peterson as a borrower with an interest rate of 12%. He promised to pay it back with interest in March 2017, five months later. An exhibit attached to the loan document in October 2016 indicated he was seeking an advance on an $18 million contract he expected to come from the Vikings. But that money never came.
Peterson suffered a knee injury in 2016 and the Vikings declined to pick up the $18 million option on his contract in early 2017, making Peterson a free agent. Peterson's revenues dropped dramatically after that and never exceeded $3.5 million per year. He hasn't played in the NFL since 2021.
The purpose of the loan he sought in 2016 was to consolidate, lower interest rates and defer payments on existing unsecured debt, according to the exhibit accompanying the agreement.
That debt from that loan has since led to an $8.3 million judgment against him in 2021, plus $15,000 in attorney fees with 9% per year on all amounts, according to a court filing from the trustee. The total amount of the collection is approximately $12.5 million, the trustee said in a February official report.
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: [email protected]
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former NFL star Adrian Peterson is facing more legal troubles in Texas
