Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson was playing through a painful sports hernia in his abdomen when he ran away with the NFL MVP award this past season, the Vikings revealed Thursday.

Peterson had surgery in Philadelphia on Thursday to repair the hernia, a tear in the abdominal muscles that can cause severe pain in the pelvic and groin area and often holds athletes out of the lineup. He had mentioned playing through abdominal pain, but the nature and severity of the injury hadn’t been disclosed.

Meanwhile, Peterson ran for more than 200 yards twice in the last five weeks of the season, finishing the year with a total of 2,097 yards rushing. He was also the league’s offensive player of the year, with 12 touchdowns and an average of 6.0 yards per carry, and he finished eight yards short of the single-season rushing record.

“We expect a speedy recovery with no long-term concerns,” the Vikings said in a statement on their website.

Welcome to Thursday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

THURSDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
College football: Fiesta Bowl, Oregon vs. Kansas State, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN; WEEI-AM)
College basketball: Northeastern at George Mason, 7 p.m. (NBCSN)
College basketball: Michigan at Northwestern, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
College basketball: Colorado at Arizona, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
College basketball: Penn State at Wisconsin, 8:30 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
College basketball: Stanford at USC, 10 p.m. (ESPNU)

AROUND THE WEB:

Jonathan Vilma is not happy with an anonymous teammate ripping the team's defensive coordinator. (AP)

♦ An anonymous Saints player blasted first-year defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in a New Orleans Times-Picayune story than ran Wednesday, and that did not sit well with Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma.

“I’m bothered you reported it,” Vilma told the paper. “We’re not the Jets, who run to the media for everything.”

Under Spagnuolo, the Saints defense was ranked last in the NFL in total defense and allowed the most yards ever in one season (7,042). The unnamed player criticized Spagnuolo for his performance and his personality.

“He does have that good-guy persona, but he is a control freak and treats people like crap,” the player said. “[Spagnuolo has] no patience and zero personality. [He] has a way of pissing players and our defensive coaches off with how he says and does things. [I] think it’s even harder after having [former defensive coordinator] Gregg [Williams], who guys enjoyed.”

Meanwhile, Williams, who left his position with the Saints for the same job with the Rams a year ago but was suspended indefinitely for his role in the Saints’ bounty scandal, will not return to St. Louis, according to a report from Fox Sports. Williams’ son, Blake, who was the Rams’ linebackers coach this past season, also reportedly will not be retained.

♦ The Jets get criticized for talking to the media too much, and now they might get fined for not talking enough. With Rex Ryan reportedly vacationing in the Bahamas while owner Woody Johnson searches for a new general manager, the team has yet to hold a season-ending press conference. The Jets scheduled a conference for Tuesday, but the league mandates it must be held within a week after the final game.

Ryan received a public vote of confidence from Johnson in a team statement on Monday, but there’s a great deal of uncertainty regarding the rest of the coaching and front office staff.

“Everyone is in limbo,” a source told ESPN.

♦ Adrian Peterson, who rushed for the second-most yards in a single NFL season (2.097), wants to contribute to the Vikings in another way. The running back acknowledged Wednesday that he’s been pushing for a chance to help on special teams.

“For the past two years, I’ve been trying to get in on field goal block,” Peterson said. “Come in off the edge, you know? It’s just going to take one block for them to really be like, ‘OK, you know what? Let’s take the chance and let you go out there and get it done. Kickoff return, I wouldn’t mind getting back there. I’m in it to win.”

Peterson, who returned 16 kickoffs as a rookie in 2007 (averaging 25.8 yards), isn’t likely to have his request approved by coach Leslie Frazier, especially after Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski broke his forearm while blocking for an extra point earlier this season.

“He always asks,” special teams coach Mike Priefer said. “He’s a football player. Gunner, field goal block, returner. The guy is awesome. I always say yes, and then I ask the head coach and he says no. I know what the answer is going to be. I don’t even have to ask.”

Countered Peterson: “I believe in having your best players on the field, especially in critical times. You never know what can happen.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On Jan. 3, 1998, the Patriots lost to the Steelers in the divisional round of the playoffs, 7-6. Which Patriots receiver set a team playoff record (since broken) with nine receptions for 104 yards?

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Over the final week of 2012, WEEI.com will count down the top 10 stories of the year in Boston sports. This entry in the countdown is No. 3: Tom Brady’s MVP-caliber season.

Check out our previous entries:
No. 10: NHL lockout
No. 9: Wes Welker’s up-and-down year
No. 8: Bruins’ early playoff elimination
No. 7: Ray Allen’s departure from Celtics
No. 6: Tim Thomas’ political controversy and sabbatical
No. 5: Celtics’ Eastern Conference finals loss to Heat
No. 4: Red Sox’ megatrade with Dodgers

Tom Brady

Only four players in NFL history have won at least three MVP awards. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who on Sunday wrapped up a terrific regular season, has a chance to join that group.

Brady threw for 4,827 yards and 34 touchdowns this season while only being intercepted eight times. He led the Patriots to a 12-4 record and the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.

In a 42-14 victory over the Texans on Dec. 10, Brady was hearing “MVP” chants from the Gillette Stadium crowd, and in his weekly appearance on Dennis & Callahan the next day he acknowledged it.

“I heard it. I’m very flattered to even be considered for something like that,” Brady said. “Honestly, the most important thing for me is winning games and enjoying it with my teammates. Everything that I do is dependent on them, on the group of guys that I play with, and the successful years we’ve had with our team has been all about team football. That’s what our team has been built on, and that’s what our team is about.”

Other top candidates for MVP include Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Peterson led the NFL in rushing yards (2,096 — just nine short of the NFL single-season record) and led the Vikings to a 10-6 record and their first playoff berth since 2009. Manning, who already has four MVPs, returned from a year off to pass for 37 touchdowns and lead the Broncos to a 13-3 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

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Darrelle Revis

Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis made his first public comments since his Sept. 23 injury and said he was confident he would return as a dominant player after recovering from ACL surgery that is scheduled for Wednesday.

Revis was injured with four minutes left in the third quarter of the Jets’ 23-20 overtime win in Miami on Sept. 23. In an interview with the New York Daily News, Revis said “there’s no question that I [will] be back to where I was in the previous years of performing and doing what I do best.”

Added Revis: “If everything goes right and I do everything right with this procedure and this process for the next four to six months, yeah. … I’m a confident player. I never had an injury like this. This is all new for me as well. But, yeah, I’m a hard worker. I know I’m going to work my butt off and get back to where I need to be.”

Revis consulted with other NFL players who have returned from ACL injuries including Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles and teammate Antonio Cromartie. Revis has been doing exercises to strengthen the muscles around the ACL already. His return timetable is six to nine months.

“I just want to get back as fast as possible where I feel comfortable [to go] out there and play like I usually do,” Revis said. “I think that’s the biggest goal. If I don’t feel ready … time will tell. We really don’t know. As soon as I feel 100 percent, I’ll be ready to go whether that’s January, February, March … it doesn’t matter.”

Adrian Peterson

The Vikings defense isn’t allowed to touch Adrian Peterson, who’s back at practice after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery over seven months ago.

“The rules are simple,” Vikings safety Jamarca Sanford told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Do not touch 28. If you touch him, you’re cut.”

Last season Peterson appeared in all 16 regular-season games. He had 208 carries for 970 yards and 12 touchdowns. It was the first time in Peterson’s career in which he did not surpass 1,000 yards rushing in the season.

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson may return to action soon

It’s been eight months since Vikings running back Adrian Peterson last was on the football field with the team, that drought may end soon.

ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported Saturday that the Vikings are close to taking Peterson off the active/PUP list. According to Anderson, Minnesota will have Peterson participate in the team’s walkthrough on Sunday with full participation starting on Tuesday.

Peterson tore both his ACL and MCL on December 24 in a win over the Redskins ending his season just one game early.

“I’m ready to get hit. It might sound strange, but just to get that feel,” Peterson said.

It has been an interesting offseason for the 26-year-old as he was charged with a misdemeanor resisting arrest and has been able to push his court date back from September 27 to November 15. He was also hospitalized on July 30 after suffering an allergic reaction to food he ate.

Welcome to Tuesday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

TUESDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
MLB: All-Star Game, 7:30 p.m. (Fox; WEEI)
NBA: Orlando Summer League, Celtics vs. Nets, 5 p.m. (NBA TV)

AROUND THE WEB:

Randy Moss is off to a good start with the 49ers. (AP)

♦ New 49ers receiver Randy Moss has impressed coach Jim Harbaugh so much that Harbaugh has called Moss the team’s “best receiver right now,” according to SiriusXM NFL Radio host Rich Gannon, who recently spoke with the coach.

Gannon, a former NFL quarterback, said he learned that Harbaugh sat down with Moss before the former Patriots receiver signed with the team and the two men talked about expectations.

Said Gannon: “At the end of the meeting, Randy turned to Jim Harbaugh and said, ‘Coach, what do you want me to do, what can I do for you?’ And Jim looked at him and said, ‘For starters, I’d like you to sit in the front row of my meetings.’

“[Harbaugh] said by doing that it’s brought guys like [Michael] Crabtree, who’d hang out in the back, and some of these other young guys, now they’re sitting up front with Randy Moss. They don’t have the hoodies on anymore. They’re alert. They’re paying attention. Randy’s taking notes. Every meeting that coach has had, Randy Moss has been sitting in the front row.

“Randy is trying to do the right thing. Randy is trying to be a leader. He’s trying to set a good example for these young players. It gets back to what the expectations are. Jim Harbaugh doesn’t have a ton of rules, but what the expectations are for Randy. ‘We can get you back to where you were a couple years ago. You can be a huge addition for our offense. You can help us in the vertical passing game. But here’s what you have to do.’

“So far, Randy Moss has bought in.”

♦ The lawyer for Vikings running back Adrian Peterson defended the player, insisting Peterson was the victim rather than the aggressor in a weekend incident at a Houston nightclub where Peterson was detained and charged with resisting arrest.

“He, in fact, was struck at least twice in the face for absolutely no legitimate reason, and when all the evidence is impartially reviewed, it will clearly show Adrian was the victim, not the aggressor,” said Rusty Hardin, who is better known as the lawyer who defended Roger Clemens.

Added Hardin: “He was only in that club for 30 to 40 minutes, was never objectionable to other patrons, and never physically resisted any police officer. Adrian is extremely upset about these false allegations. These charges are totally at odds with the way he has conducted himself throughout his career, and he asks that his fans and the public at large reserve judgment until they hear all the facts.”

♦ U.S. Olympic women’s soccer goalie Hope Solo was given a “public warning” by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for the banned substance canrenone last month. Solo still is eligible to compete in the Summer Games after officials accepted her explanation.

“I took a medication prescribed by my personal doctor for pre-menstrual purposes that I did not know contained a diuretic,” she said in a statement. “Once informed of this fact, I immediately cooperated with USADA and shared with them everything they needed to properly conclude that I made an honest mistake, and that the medication did not enhance my performance in any way.”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On July 10, 1992, which Red Sox player tied then-teammate Ellis Burks‘ major league record for grand slams by a rookie when he hit his second of the season in a 6-5 victory over the White Sox?

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Welcome to Monday’s Morning Mashup. For the latest news, start at our WEEI.com home page or click here for the top stories from our news wire.

MONDAY’S BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS:
MLB: All-Star Home Run Derby, 8 p.m. (ESPN)
NBA: Orlando Summer League, Celtics vs. Thunder, 1 p.m. (NBA TV)
Cycling: Tour de France, 8 a.m. (NBCSN)

AROUND THE WEB:

Adrian Peterson

♦ Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, arrested early Saturday morning after an incident with an off-duty police officer who was working security at a Houston nightclub, implied Sunday that he will be vindicated. Peterson was told to leave the nightclub because it was closing when he allegedly pushed the officer and then, when told he was under arrest, yelled and resisted.

Tweeted Peterson: Thank you for waiting for the facts. Truth will surface.

Peterson also tweeted a famous quote from Winston Churchill: “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”

♦ English soccer star John Terry was in a London court Monday to defend himself against accusations that he targeted an opponent with racial abuse. The Chelsea defender has admitted using offensive language in a dispute with Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand but said it was a misunderstanding after taunts about Terry’s alleged affair with a teammate’s ex-girlfriend.

Terry, a married father of two, was stripped of his captaincy on the English national team in 2010 after reports of his alleged affair.

♦ British cyclist Bradley Wiggins retained his lead in the Tour de France after Sunday’s eighth stage, but he was not in a good mood after being asked what he thinks of anonymous people on Twitter to claim it’s impossible to win the race without doping. Wiggins offered an angry response before abruptly ending his press conference.

“I’d say they are just [expletives],” Wiggins’ said of the tweeters. “I can’t be dealing with people like that, it justifies their own bone idleness. Rather than getting off their asses and doing something with their lives, it’s easier for them to sit underneath a pseudonym on Twitter and write that sort of [expletive].”

ON THIS DAY TRIVIA: On July 9, 1979, the Red Sox became the first team to have three players start in the outfield in an All-Star Game. Who were the players?

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Bears QB Jay Cutler will be out for an indefinite period of time with a broken thumb. (AP)

As the Bears prepare for their trip to Oakland to take on the Raiders Sunday, they do so without the leader of the their offense. Quarterback Jay Cutler will need surgery on a broken thumb on his right throwing hand and will be out for an extended period of time, according to coach Lovie Smith.

Cutler suffered the injury trying to make a tackle after an interception in the fourth quarter of Chicago’s 31-20 win over the Chargers on Sunday. He finished the game, as the team did not know the full extent of the injury until after the game.

While the injury is a blow to the Bears (7-3), Smith stressed that Cutler will play again this year.

“Is it a season-ending injury? No,” Smith said. “From what I’ve been told right now, we can expect him back at the end of the regular season.”

Following are more notable injuries from Week 11 of the NFL season.

• Vikings running back Adrian Peterson suffered a high ankle sprain in the first quarter of Minnesota’s loss to the Raiders on Sunday. Peterson’s status for next week’s game against the Falcons is unknown. He will wear a protective boot and not practice until Friday to determine his availability against Atlanta.

• Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe is expected to play against the Falcons after suffering a mild strain of the hamstring against the Raiders.

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The Vikings are expected to focus their priority offseason signings on linebacker Chad Greenway and wide receiver Sidney Rice, depending on if the NFL labor issue falls into place. But the Vikings also are reportedly expected to give running back Adrian Peterson a $50 million extension over five years as part of a remodeled contract, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Secondary signings are expected to be Ryan Longwell and Brian Robison, after Peterson’s contract is reconstructed.

Peterson rushed for 12 touchdowns in 2010 on 1,298 yards. Half of the money Peterson is expected to receive will be guaranteed money from the Vikings. Peterson will be entering his fifth season in 2011.