GLENDALE, ARIZONA: Adrian Peterson wasn't pleased by the jacket Damar Hamlin wore to the Superbowl. Hamlin was rocking a $3,150 Takashi Murakami "Travis Jesus" jacket to the Super Bowl 2023 and sat near NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Sunday, February 12. The jacket said, “Without the end or beginning there is no day and there is no night.” Additionally, the back of the jacket featured an offensive image of a crucifix with an altered head of Jesus which in turn created a buzz among fans. Peterson was having none of it and called the outfit "Blasphemy".
Peterson believed that Hamlin, who had a highly public heart attack while playing against the Bengals in Week 17, was disrespecting God by wearing the jacket. “You should be thanking God son!” Peterson wrote a caption on Instagram. “This is Blasphemy!! We all fall short but cmon man! I find this disrespectful!! #grateful #goddid.” Peterson, who played running back in the NFL from 2007 to 2011, is the fifth-leading rusher in league history, RadarOnline reported.
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Who is Takashi Murakami?
The "Travis Jesus" jacket worn by Damar Hamlin was designed by contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, 62, who was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. He works in both, the fine arts, and business media.
Murakami is renowned for blurring the lines between high and low arts as well as the co-aesthetic aspects of the Japanese creative legacy and the postwar nature of Japanese culture and society. He serves as an inspiration for other Japanese artists. He is the founder and President of Kaikai Kiki Co. Ltd. which manages several young artists under his direction.
AD could have handled the situation more privately
Strangely enough, not everyone concurs with the future Hall of Famer, including former All-Pro running back Fred Taylor, who thinks Peterson could have handled the situation more privately than writing a public post. "You should DM him bro…I’m sure he’s listen to your opinion. Posting it doesn’t help anyone. He’s young, young ppl don’t always think before they wear things just like people who wear skulls and other things that doesn’t align with Christian beliefs. Try to reach him," Taylor wrote to Peterson. But, Adrian, a devoted Christian, was still having none of it. "But this was different! I know young people don’t think at times, older as well! But with everything surrounding his situation!! This isn’t one of those moments where it’s a young guy not thinking!" Peterson wrote back to Taylor.
