Adrian Peterson breaks silence on rumors of selling his trophies, threatens legal action against auction house

Adrian Peterson has broken his silence on reports that he was selling off his trophies during an auction. Peterson flatly denied that he was in financial peril that necessitated him taking the step. Instead, he blamed the auction house for making a mistake and promised to initiate legal proceedings against them.

The running back said,

"I want to clarify recent rumors and media reports. An estate sale copying without my authorization included some of my trophies and the sale despite clear instructions to leave personal items untouched. I did not authorize the sale of any of my trophies. And I will be taking legal action."

After confirming that he did not authorize the sale of any trophies, Adrian Peterson admitted that his supervision during the process might have been lacking. Calling the actions of the company unlawful, he continued,

"Trusting this company without supervision was my mistake. We allowed them to go into several of our storage units with clear instructions. They clearly did something unlawful. I want to emphasize that I am financially stable and will never sell off my hard earned trophies."

Personal awards initially put up for sale by auction house on behalf of Adrian Peterson

This whole issue came about because an auction house put up Peterson's trophies for sale, including his MVP, ROTY and OPOTY gongs.

He won the Rookie of the Year award in 2007 with the Minnesota Vikings when he rushed for 1,341 yards and contributed 12 rushing touchdowns. He was a consistent performer over the next couple of seasons, including in 2009 when he had 18 touchdowns. He remained with the team until 2016 and led the league in rushing yards three times during that period.

His greatest season was, without a doubt, in 2012 when he rushed for a whopping 2,097 yards in 16 games. It equated to 6 yards per carry, which was also the highest of his career. He also added 12 touchdowns on the ground. That season saw him win the MVP and the Offensive Player of the Year award. Until today, he remains the last non-quarterback to be named the MVP in the NFL.