‘Blasphemy!': Ex-NFLer Disrespects Buffalo’s Hamlin in Fashion Choice Critique

One of the most bizarre stories to come from Super Bowl LVII had nothing to do with the Kansas City Chiefs, or the Philadelphia Eagles.

The story relates to Damar Hamlin, safety for the Buffalo Bills, who was hospitalized after going into cardiac arrest during his team's game against Cincinnati in January. Since that time, Hamlin's recovery has been a source of great inspiration across the football world, and after being spotted at Highmark Stadium for his team's Divisional Round game last month, Hamlin made another appearance at the Super Bowl this weekend.

It was at the Super Bowl that Hamlin and the staff that saved his life were honored, but it was also at that Super Bowl that he wore a unique jacket, one that caught the ire of a controversial former NFL MVP.

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Ex-NFLer Adrian Peterson Calls Damar Hamlin Blasphemous for Jacket Choice

A story from The New York Post and other outlets detailed comments made by Adrian Peterson, former NFL running back and 2012 AP Most Valuable Player, about Damar Hamlin and his choice of jacket at this past Sunday's Super Bowl LVII.

Hamlin attended the game in a light blue and cream-colored varsity jacket, one that was later determined to be a Takashi Murakami “Travis Jesus” jacket. The garment was inscribed with the phrase without the end or beginning there is no day and there is no night, and had a crucifix on the back, according to The Post.

It was this choice of outerwear that upset Peterson, who said the following on an Instagram post:

“You should be thanking God son! This is Blasphemy!! We all fall short but cmon man! I find this disrespectful!! #grateful #goddid" - Adrian Peterson via Instagram

Blasphemy, by definition, is the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things. So, A.P. is saying that in his eyes, this choice of clothing is not honoring a higher power, as it may have been intended, but rather, acting as a a direct offense against it.

Faith is, by nature, a very subjective topic, and if one person has an issue with another person's display of faith, that conversation should be had privately. That's exactly what fellow running back, Fred Taylor, said in the comments of Peterson's Instagram post, saying you should DM him bro, among other things.

Taylor is exactly right in this instance, more so than either Hamlin or Peterson. On one hand, Damar Hamlin is absolutely entitled to wear something that honors his religion, as is anyone in the world, as long as it isn't causing harm to those around them in any way.

On the other hand, however, Peterson is entitled to his faith-based opinion, and if his beliefs were that Hamlin's choice of clothing was offensive or harmful to his religion, then he is justified in feeling that way.

It is when you take that conversation to social media, and air your grievance to over 660,000 Instagram followers, that people should take issue with your actions. A private conversation could've solved this entire situation, and nobody would've heard a single word about it.

It's a lesson to everyone in conflict resolution, and specifically, how not to resolve one. Damar Hamlin didn't deserve to be dragged on Instagram by AP, but hopefully, this will lead to a more private follow-up conversation, one that could've happened days ago.