Adrian Peterson has spoken out for the first time since his arrest for severely whipping his 4-year-old son with a wooden switch. Peterson apologized after the incident, which resulted bruises on his son’s legs and genitals.
Peterson was reinstated to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday. The NFLer, who missed one game following the child abuse charges said, “I am not a perfect parent, but I am, without a doubt, not a child abuser. I am someone that disciplined his child and did not intend to cause him any injury.”
He continued, “No one can understand the hurt that I feel for my son and for the harm I caused him. My goal is always to teach my son right from wrong and that’s what I tried to do that day.”
Peterson is the Vikings’ highest-paid player and biggest star. Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf commented on the severity of the situation, saying that they “take very seriously any matter that involves the welfare of a child.” He added, “At this time, however, we believe this is a matter of due process and we should allow the legal system to proceed so we can come to the most effective conclusions and then determine the appropriate course of action.”
Peterson turned himself into police in his hometown of Spring, Texas on Saturday after detectives issued an arrest warrant for the May beating. He’s admitted to whipping his son, but his attorney said he was only using the discipline he himself had received as a child growing up in East Texas.
Many across social media defended Peterson’s discipline toward his son as the “old school” effective way of parenting.
Photo: The Box Houston