Peterson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said Friday that the charge in Montgomery County accuses Peterson of using a branch, or switch, to spank one of his sons, whose age was not disclosed. Hardin said Peterson has cooperated with authorities and didn’t mean any harm.
“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,” Hardin said. “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.”
The Vikings, about an hour after issuing a statement acknowledging the case but deferring questions to Hardin, then said Peterson would be on the inactive list for their home opener against New England.
The allegations came during a week in which the NFL has been under heavy criticism and scrutiny for the way it handled a domestic violence case involving former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and his then-fiancee. An independent investigation headed by former FBI director Robert Mueller has been convened to look into the handling of the Rice situation. Commissioner Roger Goodell initially suspended Rice for just two games. After a longer version of security video surfaced on Monday revealing Rice’s punch to the face of his now-wife, the Ravens released Rice and the league suspended him indefinitely.