Shrimp Almost Derailed Adrian Peterson’s 2012 Season
By Mike Dyce
Adrian Peterson suffered an ACL injury, then returned and had the second best rushing season by an NFL running back ever. He finished the season with in 10 yards of Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing record.
But despite that improbable comeback from a serious injury. It was almost derailed by a simple shrimp. In an interview with USA TODAY’s Jim Corbett, Peterson shared an experience he had while eating gumbo in the offseason.
“I thought I was Superman until I experienced that life-changing anaphylactic shock,” Peterson said. “I was eating lunch and gobbled down a couple of bowls of gumbo. Then, 15 minutes later, I’m in my dorm room resting up. My eyes started itching and my throat was swelling up. I could barely breathe.”
Amidst the scare and panic that ensues when ever anyone has trouble breathing he managed to handle the situation. He got his cellphone and called Eric Sugerman, the Minnesota Vikings trainer, and was able to get across how dire the situation was.
“I’m normally pretty good under pressure so I stayed calm, didn’t panic too much and just called to get the help I knew I needed,” Peterson said.
He now carries two EpiPens with him at all times to prevent future scares. Unfortunately, Peterson has now had to change his diet including removing his favorite food.
“It’s a serious situation and it’s pretty common across the world,” Peterson said. “A lot of people can learn from my scare. Seafood was always my favorite food. I mean fried lobster? Come on.
“Once I found out shrimp, scallops and lobster were my allergic triggers, I had to change my diet.”