Former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson has spoken out against β and later, with β Bills safety Damar Hamlin for a jacket the latter wore at Super Bowl 57.
The jacket, designed by artist Takashi Murakami for a reported $3,150, depicts Jesus Christ on the cross. It appears Peterson, a devout Christian, was offended by Jesus having an altered, Picasso-styled head. He said Hamlin should be “thanking God” for recovering from cardiac arrest instead of, presumably, blaspheming his image.
“You should be thanking God son!” Peterson wrote in a since-altered Instagram post. “This is Blasphemy!! We all fall short but c’mon man! I find this disrespectful.”
Here’s an image of Hamlin’s jacket in a picture he took with Lakers star Lebron James:
The King π @KingJames pic.twitter.com/0Xuvl4nEqk
β πππ¦ππ« πππ¦π₯π’π§ (@HamlinIsland) February 13, 2023
Images of the jacket on social media also show it depicted “Saint Youth,β and the phrase, βWithout end and without beginning, there is no day and no night.” The back of the jacket has the word “Eternal” over a depiction of Jesus on the cross.
Peterson’s post also shows images of the jacket. His edited post claims he not only spoke with Hamlin, but came to understand the Bills safety did not wear the jacket with “ill intent.” That said, Peterson said he “just canβt rock with that jacket” before claiming Hamlin should more responsibly use his platform as a role model.
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Hamlin has spoken about faith at length in his recovery from cardiac arrest in a Week 17 “Monday Night Football” game vs. the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Wrote Peterson to Hamlin: “I apologize for offending you, I just felt offended in that moment as a man who loves and respects our Lord and Savior, Yeshua.”