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Minnesota Vikings RB Adrian Peterson spends time with paralyzed teen

Published Jun. 19, 2015 1:46 p.m. ET

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It's hard to come by an inspirational, off-the-field story involving Adrian Peterson these days, but the Minnesota Vikings running back recently made a selfless visit to a paralyzed high school football player, according to Chris Tomasson of the Star-Tribune.

Josh Benson, a 16-year-old running bck at Hinckley-Finlayson High School, is paralyzed from the waste down after an ATV accident last summer, per the Star-Tribune report. Benson saved his girlfriend by pushing her out of the way of the crash and was honored with the 2015 Courage Award by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

"It was pretty good," Benson said about Peterson's visit, per the Star-Tribune. "It was fun. He just said, 'Keep your head up, believe in yourself. If you believe your legs are going to work, it will come back.'"

Peterson says he told Benson to keep his faith in a higher power in order to one day reach his goal of walking again.

"I just let him know that God has the final say in everything," Peterson told the Star-Tribune. "I asked him, 'What did they tell him when he left?' They told him he wouldn’t be able to move anything below his waist and I see him over there moving his leg now.

"Just keeping his mind focused on God and having faith that he can walk again, and I just let him know, 'Hey, it’s not going to be easy, there’s going to be tough days, but as long as you just stay focused and this is something you want to accomplish, you can accomplish that."

Benson, who underwent an eight-hour surgery after the crash, according to the report, says his therapy is going "pretty good" and remains optimistic about his situation.

(h/t TwinCities.com)

Photo Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports

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