Charles Barkley Defends Adrian Peterson, Says Ray Rice Should Get ‘Another Chance’
NFL hall of famer and sports analyst Charles Barkley joined the list of prominent sports fgures chiming in on Adrian Peterson's child abuse arrest – this time, defending the Minnesota Vikings running back.
"We all grow up in different environments," Barkley said. "Every black parent in my neighborhood in the South would be in trouble or in jail under those circumstances."
Barkley spoke in a Sunday interview with CBS Sports' Jim Rome. "I think we have to really be careful trying to teach other parents how to discipline their kids," Barkley said, when Rome asserted that Peterson's actions crossed the line into child abuse.
Barkley also commented on the firing of former Baltimore Ravens star Ray Rice, who was seen on video punching his then-fiancé in an Atlantic City hotel elevator. "Ray Rice made a tragic mistake and he has to live with that," said Barkley. "But I do hope some owner has the courage – and it's going to take tremendous courage – to give Ray Rice another chance."