Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson was born to be a football player. He's related to four former pros: Santana Moss, Sinorice Moss, Bryant McFadden and Walter McFadden. Peterson also grew up in South Florida, a veritable breeding ground for football stars.
He's married to a holistic doctor who understands the stress Peterson's body endures. She also understands how to heal. Peterson may be a hero to millions of young NFL fans across the nation. His wife saves lives.
Meet Patrick Peterson's wife, Dr. Antonique Peterson.
Patrick Peterson's Wife Antonique Peterson
RELATED: Odell Beckham Jr.'s Girlfriend Embraces His Oddball Personality
Dr. Antonique Peterson is a doctor of osteopathic medicine, a physician recently living in Phoenix and Patrick Peterson's wife. She has two children with her NFL star husband.
Dr. Peterson named her first-born daughter, Paityn Peterson, after her favorite quarterback, Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. The Petersons had a son, Parker Peterson, in late 2019, mere months before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic's timing couldn't have been worse for Dr. Peterson. After completing her undergraduate studies at LSU (where she met Patrick), she moved to Arizona with the star cornerback. They married in 2012, the same year she earned a master's degree. She continued her studies at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University, per ESPN.
Though the birth of her daughter delayed her medical school graduation date, Dr. Antonique Peterson began a three-year family medicine residency at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in 2018. Set to graduate in the summer of 2021, the summer of 2020 felt never-ending.
For months on end, Antonique lived far from a normal lifestyle. Dr. Peterson worked 12-hour ICU shifts under the most grueling pandemic conditions before returning home to her family.
With love & pride we send sincere Congratulations to OTFPWA member, Dr. Antonique Peterson, on becoming a medical doctor! She will be practicing family medicine in Arizona. We wish you the best! #OffTheFieldPWA #nflwives #sisterhood #offthefield #makingadifference #iamOTF pic.twitter.com/8gBCRE29zx
— Off the Field NFL Wives (@OffTheFieldNFLW) June 1, 2018
She quarantined in the guest house, showering and changing outfits before greeting her beloved children. The family followed strict mask observance and social distance guidelines, aware more than most of the implicit dangers of the COVID-19 virus. Indeed, her graduation day will feel more victorious than most.
Dr. Antonique Peterson is a real American hero. She stood on the front lines of a global pandemic, unmoved by the enormity of the virus. It began months after she gave birth to her second child, and she knew she had to fight for their future.
"I was nervous knowing that I had to come home to, at that point in time, it was a 3-month-old, a 4-year-old, my husband and then my mom is here with us, too," Antonique told ESPN. "But, at the same time, just training. I want to learn, I want to experience, get all the exposure that I can to all kinds of medicines."
She has her hands full at home with two children under the age of six and a diabetic NFL husband but was on the front lines of last year's coronavirus pandemic.
The Peterson family survived the pandemic and made plans to move from Scottsdale to Minnesota in 2021 after Patrick signed with the Minnesota Vikings. With Dr. Peterson's residency ending right around that time, it seems likely she will move her practice.
As Patrick enters the next phase in his career, so does his wife. It looks like purple Minnesota Vikings fans everywhere have a new family to cheer on, both on and off the field.
Patrick Peterson NFL Career
Did you know Patrick Peterson once caught a pass and completed a pass in the same quarter? @P2 (Sept. 15, 2013) pic.twitter.com/v0zUx6BY8j
— NFL Throwback (@nflthrowback) April 13, 2020
RELATED: Patrick Peterson Picked Off Alabama, No Matter What Anyone Else Says
Patrick De'mon Peterson Jr. is a cornerback in the National Football League. He's an angel off the field but haunts quarterbacks on it. He's known for starring at Louisiana State University and renaming it Defensive Back University. As a professional, Peterson is a three-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl attendee.
Peterson played 10 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before signing with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent in 2021. He was suspended for six games during the 2019 NFL season due to violations of the NFL's PED policy, an incident he addressed in a recent The Players' Tribune essay.
Peterson was born in Pompano Beach, Florida. He played high school running back and defensive back at Blanche Ely High School. On top of being a successful track and field star, Peterson was a USA Today Defensive Player of the Year and a U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant during his senior season on the gridiron.
A five-star recruit, Peterson (then Patrick Johnson), chose to play college football at LSU, coached by Les Miles.
Peterson had a storied LSU Tiger career. He earned the Jim Thorpe Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, first-team All-SEC nods and two first-team All-American nods before declaring for the 2011 NFL Draft after his junior season.
The Arizona Cardinals selected Peterson fifth overall in the first round of the draft. Peterson immediately got to work, earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods his rookie season.
Despite Peterson's stellar defensive play, Arizona has rarely done well since 2011. Peterson has recorded interceptions and punt return touchdowns against the Buccaneers, Broncos, Steelers, New Orleans, Seahawks and other NFL powerhouses.
The closest Peterson has come to a Super Bowl was in the 2014 and 2015 postseasons. Close but no cigar, the Cardinals were knocked out of the NFC Wild Card and Conference Championships by Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.
Peterson was reportedly unhappy with Arizona's locker room decisions, coaching carousel, and mediocrity for many offseasons. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency 2021. The Pro Bowler told ESPN that he intends to switch his jersey number from 21 to 7.
He's set to officially don the horns, and Minnesotans are thrilled to add Peterson to the team. They should be equally excited to meet his wife, a hero in her own right.
