There are those who believe the hit St. Louis Rams cornerback Lamarcus Joyner applied to Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, which caused Bridgewater to leave the game with concussion-like symptoms, was dirty.
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson isn't among those who do, as he told Mike Florio on NBC Sports Radio earlier this week.
"I actually just took off sprinting over there towards the Rams players because, you know, I seen it and it looked bad," Peterson said. "It looked dirty, but as I was over there kind of in the midst of those guys I wanted to watch the replay before I reacted and do anything crazy. It appeared dirty but watching the replay I honestly feel, my opinion, that he didn't target him. If he was targeting him, he did a bad job of executing it.
"I feel like it was a bang-bang play. Teddy slid; unfortunately, his head came up. If his head's flat, I think the guy's shoulder misses but that's normally how a quarterback's head is when he's sliding. You see the quarterback approaching so you should know he's going to slide. You see him in his slide formation. You should just do a run by anyway and not put yourself in that position, but unfortunately for him he did, and it was upsetting to say the least."
Peterson said he understood the concerns about the situation, but maintained his belief the hit was not calculated or deliberate.
"It still wasn't a smart play, and our quarterback was out for the rest of the game so that hurt us and it was a tough one. It was real close so I can see why opinions would sway to it being intentional," Peterson said.
Paging Dr. Sparky
The Arizona State Sun Devils mascot caught some heat after accidentally injuring a fan during a football game earlier this season, and it will cost the university more than $100,000 as a result.
Tempe (Ariz.) City Councilman David Schapira was on the field at halftime for a ceremony honoring city officials at the team's Sept. 18 game against New Mexico when Sparky, the school's mascot, hopped on the 6-5 Schapira's back from behind.
What the mascot didn't know was that Schapira, 35, was still recovering from a series of back surgeries, including an L5-S1 fusion on July 10. Schapira was walking with a cane at the time, and the impromptu piggy-back ride reinjured his back.
Schapira was taken from the stadium to an area hospital after the incident where he spent the next several days and missed more than a week of work following the injury. Schapira's doctor told him that the injury could take up to six months to fully heal.
As a result, Schapira has filed a claim seeking over $96,000 to cover his medical expenses and $27,000 to reimburse the city of Tempe. Schapira made it clear, however, that the claim was nothing more than a matter of following procedure and said the university guided him through the steps of getting reimbursement.
The school has indicated that it intends to pay Schapira's claim. Schapira said he has no ill will toward the program or the mascot going forward.
Sports quiz
Where did Adrian Peterson finish in the 2004 Heisman Trophy voting?
Answer
Peterson finished with 997 total points, which was second behind Southern Cal quarterback Matt Leinart (1,325 points).
Sports on 11/13/2015