Adrian Peterson claims he snubbed "Dancing with the Stars" to play for Titans
Recently acquired by the Tennessee Titans, veteran running back Adrian Peterson has been waiting all offseason to sign with an NFL team. Peterson played for the Detroit Lions last season and rushed for 604 yards and seven touchdowns along with 101 receiving yards.
At 36 years old, the Tennessee Titans signed Peterson as a replacement for star running back Derrick Henry, who fractured his foot last week and is likely out 8-10 weeks.
According to Peterson's agent Ron Slavin, the running back was also offered an opportunity at another gig earlier this fall.
From @NFLGameDay: The #Rams may not have Von Miller tonight, and if his ankle isn't 100% he could rest through the bye. It's about the stretch run. Meanwhile, Adrian Peterson makes his debut tonight for the #Titans... after choosing the NFL over dancing (nfl.com/news/new-titan…) https://t.co/Di8C504Qr9
Adrian Peterson turned down DWTS so he could focus on football
Every season of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" features not only popular celebrities but also some of the most famous athletes across all facets of sports. NFL players have been known to grace the dance floor and have even won the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy.
NFL DWTS champs include: Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver and New York Giants running back Rashad Jennings, not to mention the countless other former and current NFL players who have participated on the show.
Adrian Peterson at work. #Titans. https://t.co/Q8zYbdyor7
While this current season doesn't feature an NFL player, it apparently could have. Adrian Peterson was called by the producers of the hit ABC reality-competition show about possibly participating in the show.
Since Peterson was still an NFL free agent, the producers assured him that if he signed he would be allowed to walk away from the competition.
Peterson wanted to continue to focus all of his attention on training and being ready in case there was an NFL team that wanted him. This past week, after months of waiting, Adrian Peterson got the call that he had been anxiously awaiting.
Adrian Peterson was activated by the Tennessee Titans this week, just days after arriving in Nashville. Peterson and the Titans will face the red-hot Los Angeles Rams on primetime Sunday night.
Speaking to the media for the first time as a member of the Tennessee Titans, Peterson said:
"You think of the ideal situation for a running back like me and my style, it would be this right here, So I’m just going to live in the moment and enjoy it and do whatever they asked me to do."
While there will never be a substitution or replacement for a running back of Derrick Henry's caliber, a veteran like Adrian Peterson should be able to hold down the fort in the Titans offense in his absence.
Peterson has rushed for over 14,000 yards in his career.