Villaume: Purple Pain

Heroes. Who needs them.

I have had many in my lifetime. My first that I remember was a sports figure. Bert Blyleven. From the time that I could throw a ball I wanted to have a curve ball that broke as dramatically as Bert's. Striking a batter out was a feeling that one needs to repeat should one pitch.

My first football hero was Chuck Foreman. After watching a steady batch of Bill Brown and Dave Osborne for a few years carrying the ball for the Vikings, the addition of Foreman was like an 'aurora borealis' to the home team's offense. I spent years emulating Foreman in my yard with neighborhood friends, or with my brother diving over the top of stacked pillows (defenses) on the bed to try and score from the one yard line.

I will never forget Chuck.

Today heroes took a hit in Minnesota. Adrian Peterson was de-activated from Sunday's game due to charges he incurred while attempting to discipline his 4-year-old child by a woman not his wife. The absence of Peterson was too much to overcome and Minnesota was thrashed by the Patriots 30-7. I was hopeful the team could rally around each other and overcome the cancer of losing a player just before a game.

I was wrong.

The beating was a steady downpour of passes from Tom Brady, who seemed to have all day. There were four interceptions of Matt Cassel, as he looked ever the part of Christian Ponder in 2013. After a beautiful drive led by Cassel that resulted in a Matt Asiata touchdown catch and a 7-0 Minnesota lead, the remainder of the game was more one-sided than last week's 34-6 romp FOR our Vikings.When New England returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown (and a 24-7 lead) just before halftime, the sound of mowers everywhere in the Twin Cities began.

The pain comes from knowing exactly what Adrian Peterson did to his child. Pictures were produced through the media and the internet that pointed to a severe beating of his child with a switch. The inner-feeling I have hoping and praying he can still play for Minnesota trying to overcome my nausea for the available images of his child's backside. As my wife stated during an argument, "I don't know you." Me, a guy who works in public schools and has seen/reported far too many abuse cases in his career, wants compassion for number 28.

I want(ed) AP to play.

Not today. I am proud that my Minnesota Vikings de-activated AP. But I want him to return. I want him to be a better parent. I want to believe that I just do not understand a 'culture' that uses this method to keep children from doing the wrong things. I want to find excuses. to allow our local football hero a chance to help us be a better football team. Win,

And that is where my pain comes from.

How many kids in Minnesota and across the world are wearing number 28 jerseys? How many have pretended they were AP as they ran over their friends? How many adults watched him come within a few yards of the all-time season rushing record, wishing he could get it? We marveled at Adrian Peterson. We said things like he was better than Chuck Foreman. Maybe one of the best of all-time.

There are some who have already sworn off AP. Cris Carter gave a wonderful and impassioned speech that states he wants there to be no more child abuse. He said the Vikings did the right thing, and the only way guys like our own AP and Ray Rice are going to wake up and act different is to take away their right to be a hero.

Others want him back. Serve his penalty, but then play football for us.

But we know that feeling inside. The one that tells us we are wrong. The one that would put the welfare of a child behind our desire to watch winning football. Or the welfare of a young woman. We come to the realization that people are more important. Corporal punishment will have its' obligatory societal examination, a la gun rights whenever there is a school or public shooting. We will examine the effectiveness of hitting or spanking a child to get them to obey.We will talk.

In the meantime we realize there is a painful purple rain falling.

And as Bob Marley sings.. "When the rain falls, it don't fall on one man's house."