Adrian Peterson Investigated In Second Child Abuse Complaint For Allegedly Injuring Another Son

Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings running back facing child injury charges for striking a four-year-old son with a switch, reportedly was named in a complaint for injuring another child of his.

Adrian Peterson Accused Of Harming Second Child

Peterson was allegedly named in an earlier complaint for injuring one of his sons in June 2013. While the four-year-old was visiting the NFL star at his Texas home, he suffered an injury to the head that left a mark above his right eye. In a text message exchange between Peterson and the child’s mother, Peterson seems to admit the kid “got a whopping in the car.” The conversation, obtained by Houston TV station KHOU, was as follows:

Mother: “What happened to his head?”
Peterson: “Hit his head on the car seat.”
Mother: “How does this happen, he got a whooping in the car.”
Peterson: “Yep”
Mother: “Why?”
Peterson: “I felt so bad. But he did it himself.

Since the story broke about the second incident of alleged abuse, Peterson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, has defended his client, claiming that the allegation was untrue and authorities never pursued it.

“The allegation of another investigation into Adrian Peterson is simply not true,” Hardin said in a statement to People. “This is not a new allegation; it’s one that is unsubstantiated and was shopped around to authorities in two states over a year ago, and nothing came of it. An adult witness adamantly insists Adrian did nothing inappropriate with his son. There is no ongoing or new investigation.”

Peterson Reactivated, Writes Statement

On Monday, the Minnesota Vikings reactivated Peterson, whom they had deactivated in light of his indictment on child abuse charges. The franchise claimed that upon further examination of the situation, they felt it was most prudent to allow the legal process to move forward and permit Peterson to get back to training with his time.

Following the news that he’d be able to play in the Viking’s week 3 game, Peterson released a statement in which he attempted to explain his misguided attempts at discipline via corporeal punishment. “I have to live with the fact that when I disciplined my son the way I was disciplined as a child, I caused an injury that I never intended or thought would happen,” wrote Peterson, who had struck his son at least 10 times with a switch. “I know that many people disagree with the way I disciplined my child. … I have learned a lot and have had to reevaluate how I discipline my son going forward.”