Late Saturday night, the Minnesota Vikings' official Twitter account ran a photo of running back Adrian Peterson kissing one of his sons, with the caption, "Family Day at #VikingsCamp!"
My gut reaction to seeing the photo was disgust. Whether the kiss was staged or was a genuine, candid shot of a father and son enjoying a moment, the decision to put the shot on the team's social media page was tone-deaf, to say the least. Last year, Peterson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault after hitting his 4-year-old son with a wooden switch.
Jeff Anderson, executive director of communications for the Vikings, said of the decision to run the photo, "It was a genuine, father-son moment captured by our team photographer and it was posted as one of many images from our extremely popular Family Day event." Peterson has six children. Anderson said the boy in the photo is not the son involved in last year's incident. But to me, the message is the same.
By choosing to use a shot of Peterson and his son, the team's social media team demonstrated a clear desire to push a narrative. The photo felt like an attempt to eradicate last year's events, a try at tidying up Peterson's bad reputation with a saccharine shot of him bonding with his son.
Peterson has said he learned a lot from last year's ordeal, and I do hope that that public moment with his son is reflective of what happens behind closed doors as well. But capturing that moment and using it as a representation of the team and its Family Day came too soon for those of us still troubled by the photos of the abuse a young boy suffered at the hands of his father.
Seeing the photo on the Vikings' Twitter feed, I was immediately reminded of a blog post the Baltimore Ravens' website ran last July, which included a video of fans giving Ray Rice a standing ovation when he took the field for the team's first open practice. "See? All is forgiven!" the team seemed to say. "Let's all move on."
Of course, by September of last year, a second video of Rice punching his then-fiancée Janay Palmer went public and the Ravens released their star running back. Rice spoke to ESPN's Jemele Hill on Tuesday's "Outside the Lines."
"I can understand some people probably never will forgive my actions," Rice said, adding, "I want to be able to rewrite the script, to tell my daughter that Daddy made the worst decision of his life, but this is what I did going forward."
With the exception of a few missteps early on involving Ravens PR, Rice has done all that could be asked of him since the video of his assault went public. He's been apologetic and seems remorseful, he's undergone treatment and he's gone out into the community to speak out against domestic violence. Peterson, on the other hand, has been mostly defiant -- defiant about the charges against him, defiant about the line between discipline and abuse, defiant about the punishment levied by the NFL and defiant in contract negotiations with the Vikings.
Rice hasn't played a down in the NFL since being released by the Ravens last September. Peterson is an active player, prepping for the upcoming season.
The difference between the two, besides the manner in which they've handled their incidents, is a few seconds of security footage. The public has seen video of Rice throwing that punch, while they've only seen still photos of the abuse Peterson's son suffered.
Same goes for Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy, whose alleged attack on his ex-girlfriend involved throwing her onto a pile of assault weapons. No photos, no video, no problem. Hardy will be on the field by Week 5, while Rice could very well remain unsigned.
All of these acts were vile, and it's clear why some people may never root for any of these players again. But no player or person deserves to be judged only by his lowest moment. A willingness to accept guilt and a desire to change are the most important factors in deciding whether a domestic abuser can be rehabilitated.
The only man of the three who has accepted guilt and spoken out about his desire to get help is Rice, and he's the only one who hasn't been afforded a second chance. If he continues any treatment or counseling with his wife, seeks out a mentor who will guide him through difficult moments and continues to be involved in the community, he deserves another shot to play the game of football.
If Rice does get signed, I hope the team he joins treats his return with the seriousness it deserves. Any attempts to rewrite Rice's story via social media posts would be disrespectful to the intelligence of the fans and to victims of domestic violence. These guys can only earn the respect and forgiveness of the fans if they prove that a change has occurred. And all the Twitter photos in the world aren't going to prove anything.