Dancing with the Stars pro Sharna Burgess has some thoughts about the show’s upcoming Season 32 lineup.
Calling it overall an “incredible” lineup, the Season 27 Mirrorball winner had one objection: former NFL running back Adrian Peterson.
“There’s one person that I would love to share I’m really shocked is on there, which is Adrian Peterson, a football player,” said Burgess on the podcast she hosts with boyfriend and former DWTS partner Brian Austin Green. “I had some people reach out to me and say, ‘Have you seen this? Do you know his history?’ I looked it up. The man has been charged with child abuse of his 4-year-old son, in the way that he punishes him. That is just devastating for me.”
In September 2014, Peterson was indicted by a grand jury on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child, after he had used a wooden implement to discipline his 4-year-old son.
In November of that same year, Peterson pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor charge of recklessly assaulting his son. He avoided a jail sentence by agreeing to a plea agreement. Peterson was suspended for a year by the NFL.
In 2018, the running back said he still disciplined his son with a belt.
Burgess, who has been partnered with athletes such as NFL legends Keyshawn Johnson and Antonio Brown on the show, said she would not work with Peterson if they were paired.
“I’m telling you now if I walked into a room and that was my partner, I would turn around and walk right back out. There is no way — now being a mother — I would be able to stomach that. But him aside, the rest of the cast looks incredible.”
