It was a year ago when Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson took the microphone at the Waste Management Phoenix Open to declare an apology for his previous request to be traded.
Since then, he was suspended for PEDs, missed voluntary practices in the offseason and then returned from his suspension struggling.
He has lost a few fans in the time.
So what he did on Wednesday at the Phoenix Open Pro-Am will probably help his case with fans. He walked up to the infamous16th hole of the course wearing a Pat Tillman jersey.
Tillman, of course, is a national icon for giving up his football career to go enlist in the Army. He died in combat in Afghanistan.
Tillman is a symbol of pride and heroism here in Arizona and there is a statue of him outside State Farm Stadium.
It was a fitting tribute at a time when he needed some goodwill from fans.
Peterson enters an important offseason. He enters the final year of his contract and there has been chatter for a couple of years about a trade, despite multiple occasions when the team has said that will never happen.
He could be traded and he might get a contract extension.
On Wednesday, for the first time in a while, he got attention for something other than something negative.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
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