BY CHELSEA VANASSCHE

One of the NFL’s most beloved and talented players, Adrian Peterson, is facing a tragic loss. The running back for the Minnesota Vikings, received the news that his 2-year-old son had passed away from an alleged assault.

Reports confirm that Peterson’s son suffered injuries from an alleged assault and later that day died of the injuries. A man identified as Joseph Patterson, the boyfriend of the son’s mother, is a suspect.

Through this tragedy we as fans see the NFL, other professional leagues, teams and players around the nation come to together to support this one player and his family. Peterson has tweeted numerous times his gratitude toward the NFL and its players. 

We can expect this to be a high profile case due to the fact Peterson is a public figure and this is an infant death involving assault. 

While right now it might be too early to talk about moving forward, I can see Peterson being an advocate for child abuse. I can see him donating money to child abuse organizations and really being a “face” for these non-profit organizations. 

We as fans hope the NFL does something to honor the child, Peterson, and the overall issue of child abuse. As much as Peterson does for the league, it’s the least they can do for him during this tragic time. The NFL does a good job of stepping up in times of tragedy and I expect nothing less from the league.

Peterson is known for his perseverance. NFL fans saw him dominate in the league in 2012 winning the Most Valuable Player award after coming off an ACL injury. We can only expect Peterson to come back stronger and ready to play harder, whenever that may be, and show us the definition of perseverance following his tragic loss.