Adrian Peterson Indicted On Reckless Or Negligent Injury To Child Charge, Deactivated For Sunday's Game

Adrian Peterson, the standout running back for the Minnesota Vikings, was indicted of reckless or negligent injury to a child on Friday. Peterson, who has since been released on bond, has been deactivated for the Vikings’ game on Sunday.

Adrian Peterson Indicted On Injury To Child Charge

After news broke of Peterson’s indictment for injury to a child for an incident with his four-year-old son, the football player’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, released a statement on his client’s behalf that was obtained by E! News. The statement read:

“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 uses 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.”

Peterson was willingly taken into police custody Saturday morning and released a half-hour later after posting a $15,000 bond.

Child’s Version Of Discipline

While Peterson and his lawyer Hardin have maintained that he used a switch – a small tree branch with the leaves pulled off – to discipline his son, the child’s version of events contradicts that story. “Daddy Peterson hit me on the face,” the child said, according to police reports, reported CBS Houston. The child also allegedly added that the NFL star “likes belts and switches” and “has a whooping room”.