Vikings RB Adrian Peterson Indicted On Charges Of Child Injury

Sep 7, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) is tackled by St. Louis Rams strong safety T.J. McDonald (25) during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

According to multiple sources, including Ian Rapoport, Minnesota Viking’s running back Adrian Peterson has been indicted on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child in in North Montgomery County, TX.

Child Protective Services confirms they are working on a case involving Peterson and say the alleged victim is an 11-year-old boy. The charges stem from Peterson disciplining his 4 year old son with a switch son back in May.

Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer said Peterson has been cooperating with law enforcement, and has to turn himself in to authorities. The Vikings have deactivated Peterson for Sunday’s game. The loss of one of the NFL’s top running back will have a major impact on their team.

Given the recent uproar over disgraced running back Ray Rice’s domestic violence incident, it seems likely that the NFL will play this cautiously. It seems unlikely that they will want to invite increased criticism while the league is still reeling from the Rice fallout.

The Vikings put out the following statement, through a team spokesman:

“The Vikings are in the process of gathering information regarding the legal situation involving Adrian Peterson. At this time, we will defer further questions to Adrian’s attorney Rusty Hardin.”

Hardin, in turn, has released the following statement.

“Adrian Peterson has been informed that he was indicted by a grand jury in Montgomery County, Texas for Injury to a Child. The charged conduct involves using a switch to spank his son. 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. He used the same kind of discipline with his child that he experienced as a child growing up in east Texas. Adrian has never hidden from what happened. 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.”

When Peterson was asked how he felt about the incident, he said, “To be honest with you, I feel very confident with my actions because I know my intent.” He also described the incident as a “normal whooping” in regards to the “welps” on the child’s buttocks, but that he felt bad immediately when he saw the injuries on the child’s legs. Peterson estimated he “swatted” his son “10 to 15” times, but he’s not sure because he doesn’t “ever count how many pops I give my kids.”

Pictures from the Houston police department are surfacing on the Web, and can bee seen here. and here. (caution, Graphic)