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Adrian Peterson had a difficult journey in his personal life, on his way to the NFL, which was filled with tragic losses. When Peterson was just seven years old, one of his brothers was suddenly killed by a drunk driver.
A little over a decade later, following his outstanding college football career with the Oklahoma Sooners, he endured another similar tragedy.
The night before Adrian Peterson was scheduled to perform at the NFL Combine, ahead of the 2007 NFL Draft, another of his brothers was taken from him. He was shot and killed in a homicide.
Five years later, in 2012, Adrian Peterson appeared on an episode of In Depth with Graham Bensinger. He discussed how the events affected his overall mindset and shaped him into the person he ultimately became.
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"Seeing it happen, it's a memory I'll never lose.. That's something I won't wish on anyone, but it made me stronger. It did.. It made strong because I had to be there for my mother during that time.. There were times I had to hold my tears in just to comfort her.. You now, just be strong for her and try to be that rock for her.. I think going through that, it made strong.. This is what I had to deal with and the role I had to play.. But through the years, I was able to come to peace with it."
While Peterson endured these tragic losses, he believes that getting through it made him a better person in the end. Despite one of the events happening the night before the NFL Combine, he still put on an epic performance.
Adrian Peterson overcame adversity for a dominant 2007 NFL Combine
In addition to losing his brother the night before the 2007 NFL Combine, Adrian Peterson also showed up with a broken collar bone. This prevented him from participating in all of the drills, such as the bench press, but he was incredibly impressive in the activities he completed.
Among his highlights were a 4.40 40-yard dash, 10'7" broad jump, and 38.5" vertical jump. All three were among the top efforts from running backs in the 2007 NFL Draft class.
He was already one of the top prospects after setting the NCAA D-1 rushing record, but he somehow improved his stock even further. Peterson was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the seventh overall pick and went on to become one of the greatest running backs in NFL history.
