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| Adrian Peterson released on bond in child-abuse case, but NFL’s problems continue | Adrian Peterson released on bond in child-abuse case, but NFL’s problems continue |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| One of the worst weeks in the history of the NFL continued Friday when Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson turned himself in to Texas authorities after being indicted by a grand jury on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. | One of the worst weeks in the history of the NFL continued Friday when Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson turned himself in to Texas authorities after being indicted by a grand jury on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. |
| Peterson, one of the league’s biggest stars and the 2012 NFL MVP, was taken into custody at 1 a.m. CDT Saturday by Montgomery County, Tex., authorities and headed back to Minnesota after being released about 30 minutes later on $15,000 bond. Peterson is accused of inflicting horrific injuries on his son as he spanked him with a tree branch, using the same method of discipline he was subjected to as a child growing up in east Texas. | |
| The child, according to StarTribune.com, lives with his mother in Minnesota but was on a visit to Texas in May when Peterson used a switch, a tree branch stripped of leaves, on him. “When the boy returned to Minnesota, a source confirmed, he was taken to a doctor’s appointment in the Twin Cities,” the Star-Tribune reports. “Seeing the child’s injuries, the doctor contacted Minnesota authorities, who alerted Houston police. The case eventually was referred to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, which has jurisdiction over the area where Peterson maintains a home, and then to a grand jury.” | The child, according to StarTribune.com, lives with his mother in Minnesota but was on a visit to Texas in May when Peterson used a switch, a tree branch stripped of leaves, on him. “When the boy returned to Minnesota, a source confirmed, he was taken to a doctor’s appointment in the Twin Cities,” the Star-Tribune reports. “Seeing the child’s injuries, the doctor contacted Minnesota authorities, who alerted Houston police. The case eventually was referred to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, which has jurisdiction over the area where Peterson maintains a home, and then to a grand jury.” |
| Peterson and his long-time girlfriend, Ashley, were married over the summer and they reportedly have at least one child, who is not the alleged victim. One of the sons of Peterson, who has not revealed how many children he has, died last October after an alleged assault by the boyfriend of the child’s mother. Peterson had only learned that he was the child’s father shortly before his death and had no relationship with him. | Peterson and his long-time girlfriend, Ashley, were married over the summer and they reportedly have at least one child, who is not the alleged victim. One of the sons of Peterson, who has not revealed how many children he has, died last October after an alleged assault by the boyfriend of the child’s mother. Peterson had only learned that he was the child’s father shortly before his death and had no relationship with him. |
| Peterson was in the Vikings’ locker room just before the news broke and, shortly afterward, he tweeted: | Peterson was in the Vikings’ locker room just before the news broke and, shortly afterward, he tweeted: |
| pic.twitter.com/16AeGYJ0FP — Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) September 12, 2014 | pic.twitter.com/16AeGYJ0FP — Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) September 12, 2014 |
| pic.twitter.com/16AeGYJ0FP | pic.twitter.com/16AeGYJ0FP |
| — Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) September 12, 2014 | — Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) September 12, 2014 |
| Peterson’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, is well-known nationally after representing Roger Clemens on obstruction-of-justice and perjury charges. He issued a statement in which he said that “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’s lawyer, Rusty Hardin, is well-known nationally after representing Roger Clemens on obstruction-of-justice and perjury charges. He issued a statement in which he said that “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.” |
| CBS Houston detailed the injuries the child suffered and they are disturbing: | CBS Houston detailed the injuries the child suffered and they are disturbing: |
| Peterson’s son had pushed another one of Peterson’s children off of a motorbike video game. As punishment, Peterson grabbed a tree branch – which he consistently referred to as a “switch” – removed the leaves and struck the child repeatedly. The beating allegedly resulted in numerous injuries to the child, including cuts and bruises to the child’s back, buttocks, ankles, legs and scrotum, along with defensive wounds to the child’s hands. Peterson then texted the boy’s mother, saying that one wound in particular would make her “mad at me about his leg. I got kinda good wit the tail end of the switch.” Peterson also allegedly said via text message to the child’s mother that he “felt bad after the fact when I notice the switch was wrapping around hitting I (sic) thigh” and also acknowledged the injury to the child’s scrotum in a text message, saying, “Got him in nuts once I noticed. But I felt so bad, n I’m all tearing that butt up when needed! I start putting them in timeout. N save the whooping for needed memories!” In further text messages, Peterson allegedly said, “Never do I go overboard! But all my kids will know, hey daddy has the biggie heart but don’t play no games when it comes to acting right.” According to police reports, the child, however, had a slightly different story, telling authorities that “Daddy Peterson hit me on my face.” The child also expressed worry that Peterson would punch him in the face if the child reported the incident to authorities. He also said that he had been hit by a belt and that “there are a lot of belts in Daddy’s closet.” He added that Peterson put leaves in his mouth when he was being hit with the switch while his pants were down. The child told his mother that Peterson “likes belts and switches” and “has a whooping room.” | Peterson’s son had pushed another one of Peterson’s children off of a motorbike video game. As punishment, Peterson grabbed a tree branch – which he consistently referred to as a “switch” – removed the leaves and struck the child repeatedly. The beating allegedly resulted in numerous injuries to the child, including cuts and bruises to the child’s back, buttocks, ankles, legs and scrotum, along with defensive wounds to the child’s hands. Peterson then texted the boy’s mother, saying that one wound in particular would make her “mad at me about his leg. I got kinda good wit the tail end of the switch.” Peterson also allegedly said via text message to the child’s mother that he “felt bad after the fact when I notice the switch was wrapping around hitting I (sic) thigh” and also acknowledged the injury to the child’s scrotum in a text message, saying, “Got him in nuts once I noticed. But I felt so bad, n I’m all tearing that butt up when needed! I start putting them in timeout. N save the whooping for needed memories!” In further text messages, Peterson allegedly said, “Never do I go overboard! But all my kids will know, hey daddy has the biggie heart but don’t play no games when it comes to acting right.” According to police reports, the child, however, had a slightly different story, telling authorities that “Daddy Peterson hit me on my face.” The child also expressed worry that Peterson would punch him in the face if the child reported the incident to authorities. He also said that he had been hit by a belt and that “there are a lot of belts in Daddy’s closet.” He added that Peterson put leaves in his mouth when he was being hit with the switch while his pants were down. The child told his mother that Peterson “likes belts and switches” and “has a whooping room.” |
| Peterson’s son had pushed another one of Peterson’s children off of a motorbike video game. As punishment, Peterson grabbed a tree branch – which he consistently referred to as a “switch” – removed the leaves and struck the child repeatedly. The beating allegedly resulted in numerous injuries to the child, including cuts and bruises to the child’s back, buttocks, ankles, legs and scrotum, along with defensive wounds to the child’s hands. Peterson then texted the boy’s mother, saying that one wound in particular would make her “mad at me about his leg. I got kinda good wit the tail end of the switch.” | Peterson’s son had pushed another one of Peterson’s children off of a motorbike video game. As punishment, Peterson grabbed a tree branch – which he consistently referred to as a “switch” – removed the leaves and struck the child repeatedly. The beating allegedly resulted in numerous injuries to the child, including cuts and bruises to the child’s back, buttocks, ankles, legs and scrotum, along with defensive wounds to the child’s hands. Peterson then texted the boy’s mother, saying that one wound in particular would make her “mad at me about his leg. I got kinda good wit the tail end of the switch.” |
| Peterson also allegedly said via text message to the child’s mother that he “felt bad after the fact when I notice the switch was wrapping around hitting I (sic) thigh” and also acknowledged the injury to the child’s scrotum in a text message, saying, “Got him in nuts once I noticed. But I felt so bad, n I’m all tearing that butt up when needed! I start putting them in timeout. N save the whooping for needed memories!” In further text messages, Peterson allegedly said, “Never do I go overboard! But all my kids will know, hey daddy has the biggie heart but don’t play no games when it comes to acting right.” | Peterson also allegedly said via text message to the child’s mother that he “felt bad after the fact when I notice the switch was wrapping around hitting I (sic) thigh” and also acknowledged the injury to the child’s scrotum in a text message, saying, “Got him in nuts once I noticed. But I felt so bad, n I’m all tearing that butt up when needed! I start putting them in timeout. N save the whooping for needed memories!” In further text messages, Peterson allegedly said, “Never do I go overboard! But all my kids will know, hey daddy has the biggie heart but don’t play no games when it comes to acting right.” |
| According to police reports, the child, however, had a slightly different story, telling authorities that “Daddy Peterson hit me on my face.” The child also expressed worry that Peterson would punch him in the face if the child reported the incident to authorities. He also said that he had been hit by a belt and that “there are a lot of belts in Daddy’s closet.” He added that Peterson put leaves in his mouth when he was being hit with the switch while his pants were down. The child told his mother that Peterson “likes belts and switches” and “has a whooping room.” | According to police reports, the child, however, had a slightly different story, telling authorities that “Daddy Peterson hit me on my face.” The child also expressed worry that Peterson would punch him in the face if the child reported the incident to authorities. He also said that he had been hit by a belt and that “there are a lot of belts in Daddy’s closet.” He added that Peterson put leaves in his mouth when he was being hit with the switch while his pants were down. The child told his mother that Peterson “likes belts and switches” and “has a whooping room.” |
| According to the station, Peterson told police in an interview, “To be honest with you, I feel very confident in my actions because I know my intent. [If I felt like I was] really wrong for what I did or had any ill intent, there’s no way I would have let him get on that plane [to go home]. I have nothing to hide, but I also understand when a child has marks like that on his leg, they have to report that. Anytime I spank my kids, I talk to them before, let them know what they did and of course after.” | According to the station, Peterson told police in an interview, “To be honest with you, I feel very confident in my actions because I know my intent. [If I felt like I was] really wrong for what I did or had any ill intent, there’s no way I would have let him get on that plane [to go home]. I have nothing to hide, but I also understand when a child has marks like that on his leg, they have to report that. Anytime I spank my kids, I talk to them before, let them know what they did and of course after.” |
| #Vikings Adrian Peterson mugshot from his arrest for child abuse – pic.twitter.com/XuytUXipaJ — Dov Kleiman (@NFL_RealUpdates) September 13, 2014 | #Vikings Adrian Peterson mugshot from his arrest for child abuse – pic.twitter.com/XuytUXipaJ — Dov Kleiman (@NFL_RealUpdates) September 13, 2014 |
| #Vikings Adrian Peterson mugshot from his arrest for child abuse – pic.twitter.com/XuytUXipaJ | #Vikings Adrian Peterson mugshot from his arrest for child abuse – pic.twitter.com/XuytUXipaJ |
| — Dov Kleiman (@NFL_RealUpdates) September 13, 2014 | — Dov Kleiman (@NFL_RealUpdates) September 13, 2014 |
| Peterson’s situation is another problem for the NFL, whose teams usually allow a player to remain active until a case makes its way through the courts. Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers and Ray McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers will play Sunday while their domestic violence cases go through the courts, but the Baltimore Ravens chose to cut Ray Rice after video of him knocking out his then-fiancee sparked a firestorm of criticism. Rice entered a pretrial program and is undergoing counseling. | Peterson’s situation is another problem for the NFL, whose teams usually allow a player to remain active until a case makes its way through the courts. Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers and Ray McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers will play Sunday while their domestic violence cases go through the courts, but the Baltimore Ravens chose to cut Ray Rice after video of him knocking out his then-fiancee sparked a firestorm of criticism. Rice entered a pretrial program and is undergoing counseling. |
| The timing of the cases is a measure of just how badly are things going for the NFL, a league that likes its crises neatly managed. Suddenly, it cannot get ahead of the story. On Saturday morning, guess who was featured on its “NFL Rush Zone” cartoon for kids? | The timing of the cases is a measure of just how badly are things going for the NFL, a league that likes its crises neatly managed. Suddenly, it cannot get ahead of the story. On Saturday morning, guess who was featured on its “NFL Rush Zone” cartoon for kids? |
| That’s right. Adrian Peterson. | That’s right. Adrian Peterson. |
| Catch @ceeflashpee84 & @AdrianPeterson on NFL RUSH ZONE: Guardians Unleashed TONIGHT @ 8:30pm CT on Nicktoons. pic.twitter.com/ZPYjMqa76z — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 11, 2014 | Catch @ceeflashpee84 & @AdrianPeterson on NFL RUSH ZONE: Guardians Unleashed TONIGHT @ 8:30pm CT on Nicktoons. pic.twitter.com/ZPYjMqa76z — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 11, 2014 |
| Catch @ceeflashpee84 & @AdrianPeterson on NFL RUSH ZONE: Guardians Unleashed TONIGHT @ 8:30pm CT on Nicktoons. pic.twitter.com/ZPYjMqa76z — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 11, 2014 | Catch @ceeflashpee84 & @AdrianPeterson on NFL RUSH ZONE: Guardians Unleashed TONIGHT @ 8:30pm CT on Nicktoons. pic.twitter.com/ZPYjMqa76z — Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 11, 2014 |
| Ugh. Kids fire up this week’s new episode of “NFL Rush Zone” TV cartoon, and the guest star player is… Adrian Peterson. — Dan Shanoff (@danshanoff) September 13, 2014 | Ugh. Kids fire up this week’s new episode of “NFL Rush Zone” TV cartoon, and the guest star player is… Adrian Peterson. — Dan Shanoff (@danshanoff) September 13, 2014 |
| Ugh. Kids fire up this week’s new episode of “NFL Rush Zone” TV cartoon, and the guest star player is… Adrian Peterson. — Dan Shanoff (@danshanoff) September 13, 2014 | Ugh. Kids fire up this week’s new episode of “NFL Rush Zone” TV cartoon, and the guest star player is… Adrian Peterson. — Dan Shanoff (@danshanoff) September 13, 2014 |
| Kid friendly Football with a twist! Check out “NFL Rush Zone: Guardians Unleashed” on #DIRECTV. http://t.co/5LHkULXJuf — DirecTV_Jayden (@DirecTV_Jayden) September 9, 2014 | Kid friendly Football with a twist! Check out “NFL Rush Zone: Guardians Unleashed” on #DIRECTV. http://t.co/5LHkULXJuf — DirecTV_Jayden (@DirecTV_Jayden) September 9, 2014 |
| Kid friendly Football with a twist! Check out “NFL Rush Zone: Guardians Unleashed” on #DIRECTV. http://t.co/5LHkULXJuf — DirecTV_Jayden (@DirecTV_Jayden) September 9, 2014 | Kid friendly Football with a twist! Check out “NFL Rush Zone: Guardians Unleashed” on #DIRECTV. http://t.co/5LHkULXJuf — DirecTV_Jayden (@DirecTV_Jayden) September 9, 2014 |
| Related NFL players react to Peterson news | Related NFL players react to Peterson news |
| One of Peterson’s sons died last October | One of Peterson’s sons died last October |