MASON CITY, Iowa — It looks like Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson won't be saving the Northern Iowa Area Community College football team after all.

Northern Iowa assistant coach Kevin Griffith told coach Steve LaLonde LaLonde on Thursday that Peterson and three other NFL players were willing to donate nearly $150,000 to save the program.

School officials said Tuesday that football would be cut the as it looked for ways to close an $800,000 budget shortfall.

But Griffith said in a phone interview with the Mason City Globe Gazette on Friday night that he never even spoke directly to Peterson.

"I made a mistake and anything that comes out of this falls on me," said Griffith, who started coaching duties at the school Monday. "Nothing ever came out of Adrian's mouth.

I should have said I'll try to get the money from him and other people. I should have given coach LaLonde more info on that. I'm at fault. I want to apologize to him and the school, to Adrian and the Vikings."

Griffith, 32, said he has tried to contact Peterson.

"He's not taking any phone calls right now," Griffith told the Globe Gazette. "It's a bad situation right now. All the blame goes to me."

Griffith said he talked to "one of his friends" about asking Peterson and other NFL players to give money to the program.

"It was a close confidant in his inner circle," Griffith said. "I haven't spoken to him (Peterson) and don't know if I ever will. It's real bad right now."

Griffith has ties to Peterson dating back to his high school playing days in Palestine, Texas. He said the last time he saw Peterson was at an Oklahoma Sooners game last fall.

When contacted Friday night, LaLonde declined to comment.

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Information from: Globe Gazette, http://www.globegazette.com/