Former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson Joins The Lights Out Podcast With Shawne Merriman

got named Adrian Peterson. Uh, just straight breaking records. And you know, I had the pleasure of watching Ladinian Thomason every day in practice and I still say today he's you know, he's one of the best running back to ever played the game. So you see him every day and you get numbed to seeing greatness. And then you get a chance to see another, uh running back that is an all to a great running back, and that's Adrian Peterson. I've never seen anyone that I've got a

chance to play against run the way he did. We played him in two thousand and seven and continue uh to play as well as he's playing. Um, we talked about a long time ago and how long he wanted to play. Uh, he told me he wanted to play three four more years and this was too three years ago. Now he wants to play three four more years. But I'll let him break down into that. So if you're a Minnesota Vikings fan and a fan of Adrian Peterson, man,

you're gonna love this one. Are you feeling? Man? That's crazy? Dog? Hey, I would. I was just telling him. Uh, he said, how many said did you a p play against y'all? Said, yo, listen, oh we did, and said, you're talking about that game, So I want it's like real talk, man. I wanted

to ask you about it. I know we talked about a long time ago at the at Temp Tebows, but in two thousand and seven when we came out there and played, y'all, and I mean, obviously, we we know we come in to town, we know we have to deal with you anyway regardless, we know what was coming about. But I was like, man, it was there was a different kind of age of a Peters and dog that day.

Like still to this day, I always when people ask me, I said, I really don't know what was going through his head or what happened before that game, because I don't think I've never seen anybody run that angry though, Like was that whole week he was just you was just ready to go. I was, man, I was pumped up.

You know. It was a fact that I was going against you guys, you know, and of course like watching you guys growing up, that just made me more excited because I'm always I love playing against great defensive players and great defenses, and that you died were really good. But when I got home, I didn't even look at I was scared to look at my phone, but we got my phone is just going off. And then sit

on the TV bus, you know, a p whatnot? I said, Yo, listen, anybody talked to me right now, I'm about to get piste off because I never man, it was one play y'all had y'all had you ran to the right, but bounced it. So I'm sitting outside and I thought I got the right tackle. I'm fully extended. I got hit my outside and I knew you was about the bouncing.

I'm sitting there watching because your should when you came up, you took a step and turn your shoulders almost fully towards the sideline, and I'm sitting there, I'm holding the tackle. I'm like, yeah, I'm about to get him. I'm about to get him. And you turn your shoulders and ran this way straight to the sidine and then ran up and I jumped and whipped room and they heard nothing. And look I went up and I looked up when I was laying down, and all I saw his clicks.

I said, oh, ship, and I knew I was gonna be on the film gull was that chocolate bar hand and halftime? I just don't know. And then on top of that, LT was on the other side too. So I'm gonna ask you about that too, because was he was LT? Was he somebody that you know you kind of watched growing up too? Like, what's like you had your top three guys in that era? I mean obviously you got the you know, Walter Payton's and guys like that.

I mean, but like out of that era between like you know, nineties, late nineties and early two thousands, what were some of the guys you you kind of watched growing up? Yeah, So LT definitely was the guy that I watched a lot. Uh, Emma Smith, because I grew up a Cowboys fan, so, um, I love watching him and uh Eddie George and Terrell Davis. You know, those were the guys that I pretty much kind of watched and you know, kind of patting my game after see.

And you know that's crazy to me because um, when I got there too with the charges and I'm watching LT. Obviously I watched him on TV and stuff like that, so you know, I'm playing with them on the team, so I don't I don't really you see it every day, right, It's just normal for him to go right jump, you know, on the right foot and stuff like that. But after that game in two thousand and seven, I walked up and I'm never I'll never forget. I walked up to LT.

I said, l L that do something else, man, Like that, I've seen something. I watched you every day in practice, man, but that dude was something else. And L love watching YouTube. Man. He told me after the game, because he I don't know if he ever told you, but he was coming off of the sideline even when you were running. He wasn't he wasn't sitting down. He was coming up there and watching you. I never knew that. Yeah, that's pretty cool, man, that's pretty cool. Yeah. Lt was a guy that I

love growing up. Man, And who would who would you say this? That was I guess because I'm trying to think, Man, you had like um was it was almost like you you ran a stride of like Eddie George, right, because that was one of the guys I always wish and I told Eddie, um, we used to have a show on Fox Sports and time ago. I would tell Mark Dan said, I said, if I wish we played you long time ago, and I would have stuck you right there. But he was he was just one of the guys.

I was like, man, he would just kind of unreally and he I think was like around six three and two thirty and you guys. To me watching y'all run, it was like kind of similar because he kind of ran with his knees was always high. He was always digging, and uh that's when I seen you, man, I was like, wow, this is this is kind of crazy to me. Yeah, So it was guys like it, you know Adie George that you know, because of course, come through high school, all people have to say was, oh man, he runs

too high, he's too tall for this position. So you know, those taller backward guys. I already looked at that. I kind of looked at their games and seeing the success that they had, and I'm just like, man, I can do the same thing right, and you're still doing it, which is which is crazy? Man and um and I

just told you. You You know, my producer, I said, a few years ago, we was at the temp tebow Um charity event for the golf tournament and we were riding back in the car and I remember you saying at the time and this is what probably about two maybe about two years ago. Now, I remember you saying at the time that you wanted to pay play like, you know, four or five more years or somewhere, you know, somewhere

around there. And I'm not gonna lie to you. In my head, I was like, hold on, you know, four or five more years. I said, no, I said, it's you know, it's you can't fathm. You don't wanna say it's impossible, but you can't fath me. For one, the game is already hard. And then too, you play one of the toughest positions because of how how you know, how many collisions you do. So when you said that, man, I turned back around my seat. I didn't say that.

I look back at my phone. I was thinking to myself full five years like, hell no that I was just going to my head. But man, that's you know now where the third, third, or fourth year end from the time you hay said that. Yeah, So how do you feel, man? What's um, what's your body been like? And how have things like change body wise and your mentality of it? Now? My body feels good, you know, and unfortunately, you know, I really don't get too many

carriers here in the past. You know, well that that definitely helps out a lot as well, but um, just taking care of my body. Man. You know, I think mentally I still love the game. I'm still into it, you know, so that's the most important thing. And always telling myself about losing a love for the game and competing, then I would just walk away from it. But you know, I've been blessed with the talent and the ability. Man, I don't it's not declining, you know, I've yet to

feel like, Okay, I came quite you know. It's some things that I lost, you know, um, but not completely, but not to the point where I'm just like, man, Okay, I need to go and hanging the clicks up. You know, I still can be productive um in a major way and and still running rock. How was it? How's it been? Because once, you know, once you make your name with the organization right now And I say this because I dealt with it leaving the charges and didn't go in

the buffalo the bills. How how was it walking into a new locker room? Man? Because you you have made such a big name for yourself and a staple in the NFL, Like, how would you perceive walking to somebody else? You got the young kids looking up or saying certain things like how how how was that the first time you left Minnesota? It was it was cool? And be honest with you, you know, I always kind of wonder whether it would be like to play for other teams.

You know, I never was that guy like, for instance, Larry, you know when I talked to him, you know, he's all about being with one team, retiring one team. But I've always been like, you know, I wouldn't mind playing for different teams just to get the field of the organization, the culture there. So going into New Orleans, man, it was they opened me. They you know, they opened the

Orange to me and just embraced me, you know. And the best part of it was, like you say, these young guys, you know, just the respect that they have for me. Um, you know, and being able to be around those guys inspire those guys, those guys see how it works, and you know, be able to see how those guys you know work as well. You know, Um, when I left New Orleans, I probably signed maybe like twenty jerseys, like no line. You know, they would just go going to the trench, to the from the from

the guys on the team. Yeah, from guys on the team. It was going through the equipment room like hey man, we gotta get this, we gotta get this. We you know it was gonna be this short, but we gotta get this before you head out, you know. So like and even til the day, you know, come here, um to Detroit at the beginning of the season, and you know, carry on Johnson, you know, Swift, Dean Swift. These young guys,

you know, they looked up to me. You know, I ain't spurred him as they were as as they were growing up, you know Bow as well. You know. So it's cool to be around these guys and to continue to be doing it at a good level because it inspires them to be like man, you know they stay four or five years. It's the the stretch for running back. But hey, a p you'r fourteen. You know we can do the same thing. You know, So that's what it's really about to me. Has he has a locker room changed?

I remember talking to UM and Antonio Gates right now. This is probably about maybe a year but a couple of years before he retired, and you know, he came in. I think Antonio Gates came in when he's two thousand three at four, and then he kind of came and when we came in and he had early you know, two thousand fourteen, fifteen, sixteen and up, and he was he always say, he said, lights man, every everything's different.

You know, it was different from when y'all was in here, like now you know, everybody on social media and everybody, you know what I mean, like the whole Have you sense that like from coming into how things are now when you're gonna locker room? Yeah, it's totally different. It's totally different. And it's good that these organizations put rules in place because you know the ground, you know, ain't no telling at all. But you know, just even like

the music these guys listened to. You know, the music guy listened to be a lot more flash year as well. They do all this dancing and all this stuff. I'd be like, man, because you know, we we normally used to go to the locker room. You got Pastor Troy, you got a little John, you got you know, I mean all the East Side, but you got all the street bangers, and you're getting hyped up. And now I see some of the guys like going like dancing, competing each other on the way in the locker room. May

do I mean, I'm not dance. I'm going into rock somebody. I know. It's funny, man, but it's cool. Just the kind of season, how the coaches, it changed throughout the locker room from locker room the locker room, and over the years too. Yeah, that was it was funny. I was. I was just telling my producer Feto right before you came on. So I was in two thousand and seven. I think we were down to the Pro Bowl, but

it was two thousand seven. Well, actually it's too parstiate this story, right, So the first part and I don't think I would talk to you about it, uh yet or maybe I have. When I met your dad, I met I met your I met your dad and elevator. So I was going over to workout in the morning. Uh this is probably like a Monday, Tuesday morning or something like that. I was going to get a workout in before practice. And I came over there and somebody was in the gym already, but I didn't. I didn't

really know, you know who. He wasn't a player, wasn't a coach. And at first I thought it was not lying. I thought it was James Harrison in front of the from the back, because you know, had a clothes and stuff like that. And I met him for the first time. Man, he came up and shook my damn hand and we came in there, and I don't know if it did it tell you that we got a quick workout in that day? He did? He did, Okay, yes, we gotta

work out in. Man. So I said, you know what, all this ship makes sense, you know what I'm saying when I've seen him, and man, he was was he is that when you get that from man? Was he always like kind of on you? You know when he when when he when he when he came when he was you know, when he came down there to the Pro Bowl. Yeah, yeah, he was. He's always been like that. He's always been like that. Like still to this day,

he'll called me, like you're doing all season. I'll wake up and I have a miscall or miss texts six o'clock in the morning, six thirty. Hey, I'm in a gym getting my workout in. Where you at what you're doing? You know, I'm getting better today. You know, I've been like I'm camping me. Yeah, you know, he he is still that in me. You know, I watched I remember

going to the wine. I'm sea with him all the time, and I'll be out there of course, like playing basketball with the kids and stuff, but him and his people they be in the weight room working out, you know, and grinding, and it was something that was routine for him. It was, you know, and still steel still to this day. It's consistent, you know. So I know I get a lot of that from him, that mental toughness and that mindset to grind, that work ethic, and then my mom

as well. So you know, it's crazy you said that, because it's a question. I always wanted to ask you because I know how close you out with your sons and your kids and stuff too. And well, my son, my son is ten years old, and I always go through the battle of like pushing him to go harder or kind of just stepping back because you know, he's already got enough pressure already, you know, carrying the last name.

And you know, if I'm around and people expect him to do, you know, beat us immaculate athlete and do all this stuff, and I'm like, I just want to kind of sit back and let him do his thing and coach him up as needed. You know, everybody, even when I met his football games, they think how much just run on the field and start, you know, yelling

and screaming, getting everybody hyped. But I kind of in a sense, I want to sit back because I don't want to be that that that you know what I mean, like, oh, you gotta do this, you gotta do that because I played in the league and you got you got status, and you got status. Do you ever or you just are you on your kids? You just you want to push them? And how does that? How does that work with you? Manus? I battle with that back and forth

a lot. Yeah, you're You're right, man. It's tough, you know, but you know, I try to, um kind of come with the same approach as you you know, especially at this at this age right now, like age and he just turned nine, you know. Actual, he's five other boys. They're they're young, they're younger my oldest, my boys eleven. So you know, I try to do more talking to him, you know, because I don't want to feel like I'm

forcing something on them. I want them to want to play, um, whatever sport it is, you know, So I want them to play. And then when I see that they're interested in it, then that's when I kind of pick it up a little bit, you know, the intensity and let them know. They're like, hey, if you wanna accompass X, Y and Z, then this is the type of work that you have to put in, you know. And when I see them not doing things right, I'll correct them.

You know, I'll get on them from time to time, but I'm not just like down their throats about it, you know. I'm always just kind of telling them stories or trying to you know, let them know, like, hey, if you're trying to accomplash this, you have to work at this level because you have other kids that you're you know, you're competing against as well, You're not just competing against yourself, so they actually respond to it well,

you know. So that's been working for me. You know, I'm trying not to follow my dad footsteps because I have a younger brother. He's called now, he's called he play and uh he used to play for Prime Time Lead down there in Dallas, and uh, I'm telling you he's nice. He's nice. But my dad was like down his throat like a drill SWORDI and I'm like, dag right, Nelson, you know, let him breathe a little bit, you know. Yeah,

and then they carry that last name, you know. I mean like if you're if you're something out there playing, you got And I tell my son, is you got? You gotta expect for people to take their best shot, right because they always want to come it. Adrian Peters kid out there running the ball and I'm like, yeah, I want to go hit a piece, you know, I mean, just whether it's cloud or whether it's whatever. That is, Like, you're gonna have to bring your a game all the

time because people know who you are exactly. So I I got to explain that to my son all the time. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's just kind of you know, that's kind of what it is, man, That what it is. So you know, that's why I went what I'm saying like as far as talking to him and explaining to him, like, you know, don't I want you to be better than I was?

You know, but you gotta understand that the work you put in, you'll see the results from that, you know, So you can't really be mad at no one but yourself, you know. Don't let other ones put limitations on you, know that what other people think about you or what they feel you should be accomplishing, don't, you know, don't don't let that waiver in your mind or anything. You know what I'm saying. Know what you want to be or what you want to accomplish, lock in on it,

put the work in, and then you'll see it. You'll see it manifest. So so what I'll be thinking, man like, because when I see you still running it, even when you break some of the long ones, I can't tell the difference from your fourteen or years you're six, So and I'm sure you feel it, you know, for the people, don't know and understand you've got the hot cub, the cold cub. You probably you know you probably have you know,

your massus and stuff coming and things like that. Man, But I look and I'm like, how in the hell you know you're you're fourteen and you know you're still looking the same. How many more years you want to do this? Man? Like? What do you what else do you you got you want to do after this? How many more years you think you got anything? You want to keep going? Yeah? I feel like I have about four more years. You know, I'll be thirty six in March.

Hold man, go ahead, man, listen, I'm telling you man, guys willing, guys willing, and you know, continue the best, been good health. My body feels good, man, Like my body was good for me. It's all. It's if. It's always been about just keeping my my conditioning where it needs to be, you know, yeah, being palable, being flexible, but keeping my legs strong. Yeah, well have you changed up? And how you how are you working and stuff now? Right?

Because I know later on in my career even now, I'll squat and do certain things, but I'm not power cleaning. You know, I'm not doing any of the big explosive movements anymore. Like has your workouts and body has changed when it come to that, Um, yeah, a little bit. You know. I've tweeked some things and added some things as well. You know, I'll do a lot of bloodies now, and that's something that I wish at a younger age I would have kind of, you know, brought into my

regiment of things to do. But I've learned that that right there. Who that opens up so much, you know, and uh, there's a full body strength, especially the core plate, you know. Um. So that's something that I've been doing a little different. Um, doing a little more yoga just to keep the body flexible. Man. I try to tell, is it regular yoga, hot yoga or the beak room I do regularly? Then I do the beak rom to

do the big room, I dude. So I got into that my last year and it was something I wish, like you said, I wish I learned my first year or two. And nutrition to I think that was another part. I was just eating whatever, and I was drinking and doing all kinds, just doing whatever I wanted to do. Because you're young enough, you know, your body can bounce

back from it. But if I knew what I knew at the last year or so of my career, I would have done beak room or even hot yoga night sixty or ninety minute because it it changed everything I'm doing. You know, I feel better now than I did, you know, ten years ago, because I do Yo, God, I do all this stuff. And uh, I wish I picked that up early on. Man, it would it would have changed

a lot. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it's big time and that's that's that's what's helping me hit the team to have this longevity, you know, doing those things and you know, just staying consistent with it and uh and just being like you said, man, the nutrition party is big to just being more conscious of what you put in your body as well, because that's one thing I have noticed. I can't you know, I can't eat the same things

that I used to eat. You know, I can it ain't with a little bit now just because of genetics. But I've noticed that I okay, am about to switch some things up as far as what I'm drinking or you know, the foods and stuff that I put in my body. Um, because the body, you know, the covers differently. Yeah. No, no, big time. So so what's next? Man? Like, I know you, you know you got three or four more years that

you that you want to play. Um, and I'm not down nothing else but whatever you if you say for four more years and somebody asked me and said he's playing four more years, trust me? So what's what's that? Man? You got? You got some stuff going outside of that too, right, because I mean I've seen you at a different a couple of different charity advantage obviously the timp t bow one and I think we ran into each other a couple more. Well, Like what else, man, you got outside

of football? Because uh, one of my biggest things I think that would help me is the last year or two that I knew I was kind of gonna start

wrapping up. Obviously you got played way longer than I did, but I started wrapping my head around some of the things I wanted to do after right, Like you're not mentioned all, Okay, I want to be done, but at the same time, like in order to have that that violence in a way, UM, I started to kind of put things together to when I was done, I was like, Okay, this is what this is what I want to do, you know, for me. So you know, I own a

jam down in Houston, me and Trent Williams. Um. So you know that's something that I'm thinking about kind of transitioning into you know, doing some personal training. Um. And I've always been you know, interested in real estate you know. Oh yeah, yeah, so buying properties, flip them properly, remodeling properties and things like that too. I'm kind of really

passionate about that. And you got a good eye and my wife as well, you know, so that's something that we have talked about, you know, us doing that to the together, you know, because because she's heavily and a lot of the stuff you got off the field right in the business. Um, things you got going. I think I've seen you too, y'all. Got you you post something with each other, not you long ago, um about some

of the things you would YouTube were doing. Yeah, you know she you know, she owns her ELIZABETHA Cosmetics you know, so she's into into that as well. And um, you know, looking at the do some franchise and you know from different things. That's kind of like you know, the things that we're you know, we've been talking and brainstorming about and getting things in place um. And not just for

when I retired, but just for life in general. You know, think about that racial wealth UM scenario, you know, for for our kids and our Emily UM as well. So it's a lot of things that we got in the works right now. And so you know, whenever I do decide to finish and hang up the cleets, I really feel like it's gonna be either transition for me to just continue to roll in doing what I love to do, just have more time doing it, you know, because it's those things I do now, I'll just have more time

to commit to it. That I tell, I tell anybody the hardest part man, and and and being done this. It's the time, right. We were so used to that regiment. And you know, when I retired, I got in the TV and I started doing the TV thing and I started doing M M A and stuff like that. But uh, it was it was different. It was like a weird time becaus like that's all you did for so long, and now you got this time to do something else. Man. So I'm glad, dude, that's that's a lot. I didn't

know about the gym thing. I gotta come down there. Um, I'm match you supposed to meet a few guys out there and train with some mm A gems. Got a few mm A gems out there. Yeah, and see that's the thing too, Like we like my trainer and he actually when I met I met him. He's to miss Arnts and your trainer. Yea, his name James Cooper, And uh so yeah we have that. You got to come

check out the gym. You come to Houston, and we got the m A. We got the m m um, the ring, you know, the cage, got a boxing ring in there, got the map, we got a hole set up. It's nice. So you're like, so you're training mm at all ever, Um, not really, I haven't trained in or boxing. You're boxing. I do a little boxing or whatnot, you know, so uh hey, I can definitely see myself getting into a boxing though. Really yeah, but I see I always

say this. I say this every time because and and I took LT back when I was playing two and LT had hands. But I always say, man that I always believe a lot of m m A former football guys transitioning into either boxing or mm A. And I always say it, man, we're we're we're different breeds, like

we we just are with different breed of athletes. And once we learn to start turning over your punches and learn how to strike from a distance and you get some skill with it, you're gonna have Adrian Peterson who decided to not, you know, keep playing football, to say, you know what, I gotta play me eight years, I'm gonna go fight. And you know, I'm talking to guys now. I get d ms from guys that are currently playing as thinking about being done and kind of transition back

into m m A or some kind of combat sports. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I like that, Like m m A. You know, there's so many different you know, you've got people that got that know ty hondo and jiu jitsu. Yeah, you know, you you really got to be prepared when you're going into that into the arena UM. So I couldn't see myself doing that, but I would kind of way more towards lean, more towards boxing more than anything. I ain't trying to get kicked in all that, you know in

the head. And have have you ever sparked? Have you ever spared anybody before? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, yeah, like a like a full one sparring boxing boxing spar match Yep, how'd you do? I did good. I ain't up winning. You know, could you ever see you doing like a like an exhibition fight, like a charity something like that or whatever when you got done? Yeah, without doubt, without a doubt. I don't want to tell you guys, hey, listen, I'm gonna hit you as hard as you hit me.

You know, I'm not really trying to hurt you. You know, I'm just trying to get work in, get the cardio. But if i feel like your intensity went up, then I'm gonna go ahead and make sure you bring that back down. You got to though, especially it goes back to Adrian Peterson walking the gym, and you know, you've got a lot of people with pride or a lot of people want to, you know, do something against you because it's you. And I say that the parting partners

all the time. I can go in and work my job and work on a little stuff, but if I feel any kind of time you're turning up, this whole thing going up in flames. So so so I'm just telling you, when you retired, I reach out to you for that charity boxing match, I'm gonna be putting it together I'm letting you know, all right, let me Hey, I'm good, there's no I'll be down for sure. All right. Hey, my dude, Man, I appreciate it. Bro, you're coming on. And uh, seriously, man, I if you I can't even

wait to see in the next three or four years. Man. It's to me, it's just mind blowing that you continue to be explosive and continue to do what you're doing, man, And it's it's just insane to see. Man. So I appreciate you coming on, my dude, no problem for having me, man, and I can stay here first. The best is yet can come. These last two or three years. You know that they've been decent, you know, but I've learned a

lot over these past two or three years. And coming back and coming back to next year, you're gonna see You're gonna see some of the old agent peace and for shore more consistently. I can tell you that. So, hey, dog, I ain't doubt nothing you're doing anymore. Trust men, trust me, bro, Hey, my dude, I preciate it. Man. I'm going to log out of here. Thanks for coming on, dude, I appreciate that for real. I take it easy, Burn. What's up, guys,

thanks for tuning in again. Um, look, we just went over a hundred and seventy thousand downloads and that's all because of you, guys. I appreciate that. Adrian Peterson, man, that was fun. Uh at least fun on this side now that we're interviewing, and I would get a chance to play against him anymore, but man, he still looks great and it's it's almost you know, it looks impossible what he's doing right now and how he's still producing. And he wanted to play another three, four or five

more years. And I doubted him the first time when he told me to three years ago, and I'll never doubt him again. So just all around is one of my one of my guys. Thanks to him for coming on, and thank you guys for tuning in, keep subscribing, leaving your reviews, and uh, let's keep it going. Man, this has it's been great, So we'll be back next week. Happy holidays everybody, and hopefully having good time with your friends and family and loved ones and enjoy