According to multiple reports, a Houston judge has ordered former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson to turn over assets to pay off a $12 million debt.
According to a court order obtained by USA Today and Field Level Media, the judge ordered agents to accompany debt collector Robert Berleth to Peterson’s home in Missouri City, Texas, while Berleth seizes Peterson’s assets. Missouri City is a suburb of Houston.
Berleth asked the court for an escort in July.
“The Trustee requests that the Agent be accompanied as the Trustee seizes the numerous assets known to be stored on (the premises) to maintain the peace and prevent interference with the Trustee’s duties,” Berleth’s request, the reports said.
Peterson “is known to have numerous assets” in his home, the request said. The judge granted Berleth’s request on Monday.
According to USA Today, the debt stems from a $5.2 million loan Peterson took out in 2016 with Pennsylvania lender DeAngelo Vehicle Sales LLC (“vehicle” means financial instruments, not cars). Peterson was in his final season with the Minnesota Vikings when he took out the loan. Peterson reportedly borrowed the money to pay off other debts and agreed to pay it back with interest in March 2017.
Peterson was eligible for an $18 million team option with the Vikings in 2017. The Vikings declined the option, making Peterson a free agent. He subsequently signed a two-year, $7 million contract with the New Orleans Saints.
According to the court filing, the debt remains outstanding and has escalated. It led to an $8.3 million judgment against Peterson in 2021 and has continued to mount with costs and interest to a total of approximately $12.5 million.
“There have been no offsets to this judgment to date,” Berleth said in a July court filing.
Peterson’s attorney Chase Carlson released a statement in 2019 addressing the guilt.
“This is yet another situation where an athlete trusted the wrong people and was taken advantage of by those he did trust,” Carlson wrote.
Neither Peterson nor his representatives have commented publicly on the sentence handed down against him on Monday.
This isn’t Peterson’s first debt trouble. He was ordered to repay $2.4 million he owed on a separate loan in 2019.
Peterson played 15 NFL seasons from 2007-21 in what promises to be a Hall of Fame career. He was a three-time rushing champion, seven-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler. He was named MVP and Offensive Player of the Year in 2012. According to Spotrac, Peterson earned more than $103 million in salary over the course of his career.
