Vikings Running Back Peterson Indicted, Deactivated
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Andy Lyons/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been indicted by a Montgomery County, Texas grand jury on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. A warrant has been issued for Peterson’s arrest and he will reportedly turn himself in.
Peterson is accused of using a switch, a flexible tree branch used to swat a child across the backside, on his four-year-old son last May. When the child returned to Minnesota, his mother took him to a doctor where multiple lacerations, cuts, and bruises where found across his thighs, buttocks, and hands.
A police report says the son told doctors his father hit him with a branch from a tree. It also quotes one doctor as saying the wounds were “child abuse” while another deemed the cuts “excessive”.
The Vikings released a statement early Friday evening saying they were in the process of gathering information regarding the All-Pro’s legal situation. Minnesota has since deactived the running back for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.
“This indictment follows Adrian’s full cooperation with authorities who have been looking into this matter. Adrian is a loving father who used his judgment as a parent to discipline his son,” said his attorney, Rusty Hardin, in a statement. “He has cooperated fully with authorities and voluntarily testified before the grand jury for several hours. Adrian will address the charges with the same respect and responsiveness he has brought to this inquiry from its beginning. It is important to remember that Adrian never intended to harm his son and deeply regrets the unintentional injury.”
Peterson is in his eighth season in the NFL, all with Minnesota, amassing more than 10,000 yards in his career.
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