Adrian Peterson is out of touch with reality. He has surrounded himself with people who inflate his ego and steer him in the wrong direction. He is far from that humble-as-pie kid who came into the National Football League in 2007.

What does Peterson expect? What were the Minnesota Vikings supposed to do last year when pretty much the entire nation lambasted Peterson for beating a child and roasted the Vikings organization for suspending the running back just a single game? They swiftly got Peterson off the field but in a manner he still could be paid.

And what were the Vikings supposed to do as the court date neared later that fall? Should they have been overwhelmingly public about their adoration for Peterson? No. Not at that time. They were necessarily quiet as the nation watched. They did what was best for the NFL and its public relations needs. The game — as we have learned with Tom Brady in the Deflategate spectacle — is more important than any single player.

And what were the Twin Cities media supposed to do when Peterson and his nonprofit organization were both going through hard times? Falsify facts? Write editorials declaring hitting kids with sticks ought to be legalized in Minnesota? Write sports columns impressed with how virile Peterson is, considering his children from multiple women? What is it, five, seven? Should they not have reported that police investigated allegations of an orgy paid for by Peterson’s nonprofit?

Let’s grow up, Adrian, and live in reality here.

The problem then and to this very day is that Peterson fails to understand that he got himself into this situation and he has only himself to blame. He should be hat in hand and humble about the millions in dollars the Vikings gave him last season and hope to give him this season.

Criminals are the type of people who typically blame others for their own misbehavior. They think they are innocent. Peterson — as much as we love to see the man run with a football — is displaying this unfortunate trait. We believe much of it stems from people in his camp who are unwilling to tell the once-humble guy the correct advice: He ought to go along with the path the Vikings have generously set forth before him.

He’s lost a huge fan base. That’s hard to do. Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Emmit Smith, Eric Dickerson, Marcus Allen remain beloved and respected football running backs by all fans of the game. Peterson says it’s not just about the money. If that’s the case, it sure doesn’t seem to be about the fans either.

But among the people in Peterson’s lost fan base, many of them bleed purple and gold — and are die-hard enough that they might welcome him back if he merely would say: “I messed up. I’ve learned my lesson. I am ready to play football again.”

C’mon, Adrian. Wake up.