"It’s modern-day slavery, you know?"

-- Adrian Peterson

What an idiot. 

I guess the first thing I'd like to know about Adrian Peterson, Modern Day Slave is this: Which route on the underground railroad did he take to get from Minnesota to Los Angeles to film that cameo on an episode of "Entourage" last year?

This is exactly why the owners always beat the players. Just sit back and wait for it. And in the last week we've seen a story break that has a player in the middle of a Did He or Didn't He shooting controversy, a rumored NFLPA boycott of the NFL Draft in April and the Peterson quote.

This is how public perception switches. 

And at the end of the day we learn the very thing we were pretty sure we already knew: A lot of these guys aren't very bright. And Adrian Peterson, Modern Day Slave shifts over to quarterback the Not Very Bright Club.

As someone has no doubt said to Peterson in the last 24 hours -- though it's possible that he surrounds himself with so many yes men that a message of clarity may never break through -- the NFL players aren't the only modern slaves kicking around. There are, you know, actual slaves. The organization Free the Slaves estimated in 2008 that the number of people in slavery at that time was at least 27 million. Most of it sex trafficking, a lot of it involving children. 

And I'm going to take a swing and guess that none of those 27 million people were ever arrested for driving their BMW 109 MPH in a 55-MPH zone, as Peterson was in December 2009. Though I'm sure they'd all be outraged at a 54/46 split of the revenue with the NFL owners.  

Leading with this Peterson quote wasn't just some excuse to go on a pro-owner rant. I understand why the players -- including Peterson -- are pissed. I'd be pissed, too. I'm not one of these guys who play the greed card, billionaires vs. millionaires. Nope, if you think you're underpaid at $3 million a year, try and get paid $4 million. I'm fine with that, these guys have a short shelf life and are putting their long-term health at risk every Sunday. You and I would try and do the same exact thing. And if the owners think they got screwed in the last deal and think a lockout is the best route to getting what they want -- more money -- that is what they should do. And guess what? If you or I owned the Minnesota Vikings we would do the same exact thing. It's a business. 

And P.S.? Adrian Peterson is an employee in that business, not a slave. Curt Flood -- who Peterson should be thanking for his $10 million a year salary and right to free agency -- once said "a well-paid slave is nonetheless a slave." And while I can forgive Flood for that statement -- he was essentially alone in the middle of a fight that would change the shape of sports forever -- he was wrong, too. Peterson, as was the case with Flood, can walk away from his job at any time. And if he does he won't be beaten, disfigured, or killed. Nor would members of his family. 

Guess what? Adrian Peterson plays football at Mall of America Field, not Mall of America Plantation. He gets to leave at the end of his workday and go to his 5,000 square-foot, five bedroom and 3.5 bathroom mansion in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He gets an offseason -- I might need a refresher course, but I don't recall reading about an offseason for slaves in my eighth-grade Social Studies class -- and can retire whenever he wants. The guy is dating a Playboy model (I'll just give you the name -- Ashley Brown -- and let you do the Googling). 

Look, I'm a white, 36-year-old man from Winchester. I suspect if we go back and take a look at my family history there's a good chance I fall on the wrong side of slavery. But that doesn't disqualify me from being offended by the comments of a 24-year-old black man from Palestine, Texas on the subject of slavery. 

And it's even not what he said, exactly, that bothers me. It's more the idea that he's arrogant enough to say it and to believe it. It speaks of a larger problem, the massive disconnect that some of these guys have with reality (though just wait -- some players will blast Peterson, but others will come to his defense.)

And now that disconnect has a new name and face.

Adrian Peterson, Modern Day Slave.

A slave to his own arrogance and stupidity.