An auction containing some memorabilia belonging to former NFL running back Adrian Peterson has been suspended amid an ongoing legal issue.
"It has been taken down temporarily," said David Runte, the auctioneer at Texmax Auctions of Houston, per USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer. "I'm not allowed to discuss it, but it's a legal matter."
Last week, Peterson posted a video on X stating that an "estate sale company" took some of his NFL trophies from his storage unit and included them in a sale without his authorization. He added that the company was allowed to go into his storage unit but had clear instructions to not touch any personal items.
Additionally, Peterson said he didn't authorize the sale of any of his trophies and would be taking legal action against the company:
"Trusting this company without supervision was my mistake. We allowed them to go into several of our storage units, with clear instructions. They clearly did something unlawful. I want to emphasize that I am financially stable and would never sell off my hard-earned trophies. If I was going to sell them, I know people that I could sell them to. I wouldn't go online and sell my personal items randomly, so let that sink in. It's concerning that the media outlets did not verify this with my publicist or me, because a lot of you guys have my number. But it is what it is, I just wanted to address this and put it in my own words."
Almost 1,000 items were initially up for bidding on hibid.com under the headline: "Adrian Peterson Final Auction." Some of the items included were Peterson's 2012 NFL MVP award, Offense Player of the Year awards, signed jerseys and game balls.
The bidding on some of his trophies had topped $10,000 before being suspended, per Schrotenboer. All of the items have since been made unavailable and can't be viewed online.
"Once we get the get the go-ahead from the authorities, we will relaunch the auction for probably a week," Runte told Schrotenboer.
It's unclear who took the items from Peterson's storage unit.
However, Peterson has been facing property seizures in relation to debt he still owes stemming from an unpaid loan, per Schrotenboer, and "a court-appointed receiver has been trying to chase down and seize Peterson's assets."
The court-appointed receiver, Robert Berleth, has not commented on whether the items placed up for auction were legally seized as part of debt collection.
Peterson, who earned $100 million during his NFL career, was loaned $5.2 million from Pennsylvania lending company DeAngelo Vehicle Sales in 2016 and he hasn't paid off the loan. The company intended to use most of the money to pay back other lenders.
The 38-year-old now owes "much more including interest," according to court filings obtained by Schrotenboer.
Peterson played in the NFL from 2007 to 2021, primarily with the Minnesota Vikings. He finished his career with 17,392 yards from scrimmage and 126 touchdowns, in addition to seven Pro Bowl nods and his MVP award.
Peterson recently admitted he's open to an NFL return despite not playing since 2021. It's unclear if any team would have interest in signing him.
