Given that the Ravens have offered to exchange Ray Rice jerseys for those bearing the names and numbers of other players, some Vikings fans want to do the same thing with their Adrian Peterson jerseys.
One fan forwarded to PFT earlier today his request to exchange five Adrian Peterson jerseys that he purchased for himself, and for his wife and three children. The fan was informed that the Peterson jerseys will not be exchanged.
“First, we want to be clear that we have a strong stance on the protection and welfare of children, which is why we needed to get this decision right,” VikingsLockerRoom.com customer service supervisor Lane Lewis told the fan. “We understand and appreciate the range of emotions our fans have expressed throughout the process, and we hope they can respect our decision. At this time we do not have a jersey exchange program in place. Adrian remains a member of the Vikings organization, and we will continue to support him through this legal and personal process.”
The Vikings confirmed the validity of the email, and separately provided this statement to PFT: “No, we are not contemplating a jersey exchange program. Adrian remains a member of this organization and we will support him through the legal and personal process.”
Eventually, that could change. If Peterson eventually is convicted of or pleads guilty to child abuse, the Vikings could opt to accept the thousands of jerseys that have been sold with his name and number on them.
Either way, some fans want to unload their Peterson jerseys now. That group could grow. And if the voices are loud enough, the Vikings could end up deciding to include a jersey exchange within their ad nauseum effort to “get this right.”