Immediately after being hit with a child abuse charge in 2014, motor oil company Castrol cancelled its contract with NFL running back Adrian Peterson.
Castrol had originally signed Peterson in 2013 to help publicly promote some of their products, including synthetic car oil Castrol EDGE. But after Peterson’s legal issues arose and Castrol cancelled the contract, they requested he return a portion of the advance payments.
According to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit filed earlier this week, that did not occur. And now Castrol is seeking $60,540 from Peterson, reports the New York Post.
Castrol claims they nixed the deal under a clause in the contract that specifically outlined “embarrassment” or “scandal.” The argument could obviously be made that Peterson violated both of those terms after he allegedly struck his 4-year-old son with a wooden spoon.
Peterson and Castrol went into arbitration in 2020 with Castrol having prevailed in 2021. However, Peterson and his management company — Adrian Peterson All Day Inc. — have yet to pay up.
“To date, [Peterson’s company] has failed to pay the award, in whole or in part,” the filing states.
In addition to the arbitration award, Castrol is also requesting a judge force Peterson to pay 9% interest.
Peterson, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, last played in 2021 as a member of both the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans. His career earnings eclipse $103 million.
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