Mar 20, 2009 9:42 pm US/Central
College Coach: I Never Spoke With Adrian Peterson
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) ―
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Griffith has ties to Peterson dating back to his high school playing days in Palestine, Texas. He said the last time he saw Peterson was at an Oklahoma Sooners game last fall. (Adrian Peterson, File)
Minnesota Vikings
It looks like Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson won't be saving the Northern Iowa Area Community College football team after all.
Northern Iowa assistant coach Kevin Griffith told coach Steve LaLonde on Thursday that Peterson and three other NFL players were willing to donate nearly $150,000 to save the program.
School officials said Tuesday that football would be cut as it looked for ways to close an $800,000 budget shortfall.
But Griffith said in a phone interview with the Mason City Globe Gazette on Friday night that he never even spoke directly to Peterson.
Griffith says he made a mistake and that anything that comes out of it falls on him, adding that nothing ever "came out of Adrian's mouth."
Griffith says he should have said he'd try to get the money from Peterson and other people. Griffith says he wants to apologize to LaLonde and the school, to Adrian and the Vikings.
Griffith has ties to Peterson dating back to his high school playing days in Palestine, Texas. He said the last time he saw Peterson was at an Oklahoma Sooners game last fall.
When contacted Friday night, LaLonde declined to comment.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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