That combativeness is something the Chiefs have to manage -- "You never want to take away his competitive spirit, but I also tell him that he needs to be the guy in control," Sutton said -- but it's also a byproduct of Peters' upbringing in Oakland.

"You aren't going to be able to play on these grounds if you're soft," Peters said. "You've got to have a certain amount of toughness, because if you fall, you have to get up. Nobody is going to sit there and baby you."

Peters walked toward the McClymonds football field as he made that statement about Oakland. He pointed up to the high stone walls that surrounded the field and joked about how kids would try climbing up to see the games in his youth. Once inside, he sat down on the metal bleachers and explained how the school kept a chain-link fence in the middle of the stands to keep opposing fans away from each other. The point Peters was making: Playing games in that part of town meant always being ready for a fight afterward.

Peters appreciates how that experience hardened him, but he also harbors a deep compassion for his community. That much was clear back in April, when he funded a carnival in the parking lot at McClymonds. Hip-hop music blared through the sound system and little children feasted on free food and drinks. Peters just strolled through the celebration proudly, knowing he was impacting his community in the same way Lynch did as a player (and continues to do in retirement).

"When he said he was done, I told him to chill out," Peters said of Lynch. "I'm ready to put this whole town on my back."

This is why Peters never makes excuses for his behavior. He'll apologize for his mistakes -- as he publicly accepted blame for his dismissal from Washington while also personally apologizing to Petersen -- but he won't compromise his personality or the values he cultivated in Oakland. They helped put him on the path he most wanted to be on, and he knows what that means to everyone around him.