Minnesota Vikings embattled running back Adrian Peterson released a statement Monday afternoon in response to the child abuse charges that were delivered to him last Friday. In the statement, Peterson says he is “not a child abuser” and he never intended to harm his 4-year-old son when he disciplined the boy with a thin tree branch, which he referred to as a “switch.”
Here’s the full statement from Peterson.
https://twitter.com/AdrianPeterson/status/511586600346599424
Peterson, who was reinstated by the Vikings early Monday after being deactivated for Sunday’s game against the Patriots, is expected to make his first court appearance in Texas on Wednesday.
More to come. Stay tuned.
In a press conference this afternoon, Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman said they need to wait for the legal system to determine if Peterson “went too far” when disciplining his child.
"We believe he deserves to play while the legal process plays out." -Spielman #Vikings
— Master (@MasterTes) September 15, 2014
Spielman said the Vikings have "a lot more information'' than they did Friday.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 15, 2014
Rick Spielman: "When you look at the photos, the photos are disturbing.''
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) September 15, 2014
Spielman said the team has been in “constant communication” with Peterson’s legal representatives, but the team didn’t know of any formal charges until last Friday.
Spielman: "He will play going forward until he gets his day in court." #Vikings
— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) September 15, 2014
Spielman: "It has nothing to do with him as a football player." Has to do with the facts, he says.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 15, 2014
https://twitter.com/GoesslingESPN/status/511594618182311936https://twitter.com/ChrisWarcraft/status/511595686165372928
