Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been indicted in Montgomery County for reckless or negligent injury to a child."I can confirm he's been indicted," said Rusty Hardin, Peterson's attorney, in an interview with FOX 26 Sports. 
 
 Hardin later released the following statement: 
 
 Adrian Peterson has been informed that he was indicted by a grand jury in Montgomery County, Texas for Injury to a Child. The charged conduct involves using a switch to spank his son. This indictment follows Adrian's full cooperation with authorities who have been looking into this matter. 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. 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 Montgomery County Sheriff's Office released the following statement on Friday evening: 
 
 On Thursday, September 11, 2014, a Montgomery County Grand Jury, “true billed”, Adrian Lewis Peterson on a charge of injury to a child. On today's date at 2:47 PM, a warrant was issued and entered for the arrest of Adrian Peterson for that charge. Since the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has referred the case to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, and the investigation has led to a, “true bill”, on a criminal offense, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office will not discuss details in reference to the case or investigation. At the time of this release, Adrian Peterson is not in custody at the Montgomery County Jail and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office does not have any details in the arrest of Adrian Peterson. 
 
 Peterson's team, the Vikings, released the following statement on Friday evening: 
 
 The Vikings are in the process of gathering information regarding the legal situation involving Adrian Peterson. At this time, we will defer further questions to Adrian's attorney Rusty Hardin. 
 
 Peterson has spent his entire eight-year career with the Vikings. 
 
 
 
 He has been named First-Team All-Pro three times and has been selected to play in six Pro Bowls. 
 
 
 
 Peterson has rushed for 10,190 yards and scored 86 touchdowns. 
 
 
 
 He's also caught 208 passes for 1,715 yards and five touchdowns. 

 MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A warrant was issued Friday for the arrest of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson after a grand jury in Texas indicted him for reckless or negligent injury to a child. 
 
 Peterson traveled to Texas and turned himself in early Saturday morning. He was booked into the Montgomery County Jail at about 1:15 a.m. CST, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. 
 
 He posted a $15,000 bond and left jail about 30 minutes later. 
 
 Peterson will not play in Sunday’s game at TCF Bank Stadium against the New England Patriots. On Friday afternoon, the Vikings said Peterson had been deactivated. That’s different from a suspension, as Peterson will be still be paid as officials investigate. 
 
 Sports Radio 610 in Houston obtained a draft of the police report which says Peterson admitted that he did, in his words, “whoop” one of his children last May while the child was visiting him at his home near Houston. 
 
 The punishment happened after Peterson’s son pushed another of Peterson’s children off of a motorbike video game, the report says. 
 
 During a Skype session with his mom back in Minnesota, the 4-year-old boy asked if he could tell her something. According to the report, Peterson said, “Go ahead and tell her and show her what happened.” 
 
 The boy said he got a whooping with a switch — a wooden rod or tree branch used for punishment. 
 
 When the boy returned to his mother in Eden Prairie, Minn., she took him to a doctor. 
 
 The doctor told investigators that the boy had a number of lacerations on his thighs, along with bruise-like marks on his lower back and buttocks and cuts on his hand. 
 
 The police report says the doctor described some of the marks as open wounds and termed it “child abuse.” Another examiner agreed, calling the cuts “extensive.” 
 
 The report also states the four year-old had been hit with a belt, and that Peterson put leaves in the boy’s mouth while he was being hit with the switch with his pants down. The child told his mother Peterson likes belts and switches and has a whooping room, according to the report. 
 
 Photographs from the Houston police report showed pictures of the injuries. Another picture showed Peterson demonstrating the kind of switch he used. 
 
 The police report also includes text messages between Peterson and the boy’s mother. First he texted to her: “You will be mad at me about his leg.” Later, he texted: “He got about five more pops than normal. He didn’t drop one tear! … He’s tough as nails.” 
 
 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.” 
 
 When investigators questioned Peterson, they say he told them he regarded it as a normal spanking and not excessive. He told investigators, “To be honest with you, I feel very confident with my actions because I know my intent,” and when asked if he would reconsider using switches in the future, said he would never “eliminate whooping my kids … because I know how being spanked has helped me in my life.” 
 
 A grand jury seated earlier this summer decided not to charge Peterson. 
 
 Montgomery County Prosecutor Phil Grant said in a press conference Saturday afternoon that after seeing photos of the injuries, the grand jury thought Peterson went beyond “reasonable discipline.” 
 
 “Obviously parents are entitled to discipline their child as they see fit except for when that discipline exceeds what the community would say is reasonable,” he said. 
 
 Grant also said whoever leaked the photos and documents will face punishment. 
 
 “In the State of Texas, investigations of child abuse are confidential under the Texas Family Code,” Grant said. “It’s inappropriate, it shouldn’t have happened, and we’re going to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to find out who did it.” 
 
 Grant added that the case is in its preliminary stages, and it will likely be several months until its ready for trial — which might not be until next year. 
 
 On Friday, Peterson told WCCO-TV’s Mike Max that he didn’t think he’d face another indictment. The day’s developments caught him by surprise. 
 
 If Peterson is convicted, he could face up to two years in county jail. His next court appearance date has not been announced. 
 
 Peterson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, issued this statement Friday afternoon: 
 
 “This indictment follows Adrian’s full cooperation with authorities who have been looking into this matter. 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 growing up in east Texas. 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 NFL recently unveiled a domestic-violence policy, which stipulates a six-game suspension for a first offense but allows for steeper penalties if children are involved. 
 
 The indictment against Peterson comes on the heels of another story involving an NFL running back and serious allegations. 
 
 On Monday, the league indefinitely suspended Ravens running back Ray Rice after video was published showing the player punching his soon-to-be wife and knocking her out cold. 
 
 Fans React To Child Abuse Indictment 
 
 Other Recent Adrian Peterson News 
 
 

 Update: September 13, 9 am – Adrian Peterson has been booked and released following his indictment for negligent injury to a child charges. 
 
 Peterson was booked into the Montgomery County Texas Jail around 1:15am Saturday morning. He was allowed in through a side entrance, presumably by a Montgomery County Sheriffs Dept employee. 
 
 Peterson posted $15,000 bond and posed for a mugshot. The whole process took about 30 minutes. Peterson left the Montgomery County Sheriffs Dept. around 1:50am. 
 
 By: Nick Wright 
 
 According to law-enforcement sources, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson beat his 4-year-old son with a tree branch as a form of punishment this summer, an incident that allegedly resulted in multiple injuries to the child. According to reports, Peterson has been indicted in Montgomery County, Texas for injury to a child. 
 
 The “whooping” – as Peterson put it when interviewed by police – occurred in Spring, Texas, in May. 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. 
 
 RELATED: Former Coach: Adrian Peterson’s Dad Was ‘A Firm Disciplinarian’ 
 
 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.” 
 
 RELATED: Adrian Peterson Releases Statement 
 
 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, when contacted by police, admitted that he had “whooped” his son on the backside with a switch as a form of punishment, and then, in fact, produced a switch similar to the one with which he hit the child. Peterson also admitted that he administered two different “whoopings” to his son during the visit to Texas, the other being a punishment for the 4-year-old scratching the face of a 5-year-old. 
 
 In an interview with Houston police, Peterson was very matter-of-fact and calm about the incident, appearing to believe he had done nothing wrong and reiterating how much he cared about his son and only used “whoopings” or “spankings” as a last resort. He offered up information that the police didn’t have and was incredulous when asked if some of the numerous wounds and marks on the child were from an extension cord, saying, “Oh, no, I’d never hit my child with an extension cord. I remember how it feels to get whooped with an extension cord. I’d never do that.” 
 
 Peterson also said, “Anytime I spank my kids, I talk to them before, let them know what they did, and of course after.” Peterson also expressed regret that his son did not cry – because then, Peterson said, he would have known that the switch was doing more damage than intended. He didn’t realize the “tip of the switch and the ridges of the switch were wrapping around [the child’s] legs.” Peterson also acknowledged that this was administered directly to the child’s skin and with the child’s pants pulled down. 
 
 Peterson later told police that the marks on his son’s buttocks were similar to the marks any of his other children get when he “spanks them with a switch,” but that the mark on the child’s leg from when the switch “wrapped around his thigh” was more severe than anything he had ever done in the past. 
 
 Peterson said he knew that his son had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for when he returned home and that the doctor would discover the injuries. Peterson added that if he felt like he 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.” He went on to say, “I have nothing to hide, but I also understand when a child has marks like that on his leg, they have to report that.” 
 
 RELATED: Barkley: ‘Every Black Parent In The South’ Whips Their Kids 
 
 When Peterson was asked how he felt about the incident, he said, “To be honest with you, I feel very confident with my actions because I know my intent.” He also described the incident as a “normal whooping” in regards to the “welps” on the child’s buttocks, but that he felt bad immediately when he saw the injuries on the child’s legs. Peterson estimated he “swatted” his son “10 to 15” times, but he’s not sure because he doesn’t “ever count how many pops I give my kids.” 
 
 Peterson went on to reiterate again how much he loves all his kids, and only “whoops” them because he wants them to do right. Toward the end of the interview, Peterson said he would reconsider using switches in the future, but said he would never “eliminate whooping my kids . . . because I know how being spanked has helped me in my life.” 
 
 After the child returned home to Minnesota in late May, the mother took the son to his previously scheduled doctor appointment and the doctor that examined the child said the injuries were consistent with child abuse and that it appeared the child had injuries from one incident involving a “switch” and another incident possibly involving a cord. 
 
 Authorities in Minnesota referred the case to the Houston Police Department to investigate. During the investigation, authorities determined that the incident did not take place on Woodway Drive in Houston, as originally believed, but instead in Spring, Texas, which is in the Montgomery County jurisdiction. 
 
 According to a law-enforcement source, Peterson was indicted Friday in Montgomery County, Texas, but has not yet been arrested. 
 
 The NFL recently unveiled a domestic-violence policy, which stipulates a six-game suspension for a first offense but allows for steeper penalties if children are involved. 
 
 RELATED: Vikings Release Statement, Say Peterson Likely To Play Sunday 
 
 As of publication, Peterson is not under arrest and is expected to play for the Vikings this weekend when they host the Patriots. (UPDATE: Shortly after publication of this story the Vikings deactivated Peterson for Sunday’s game against the Patriots.) 
 
 The Montgomery County Sheriff Office released the following statement: 
 
 On Thursday, September 11, 2014, a Montgomery County Grand Jury, “true billed”, Adrian Lewis Peterson on a charge of injury to a child. On today’s date at 2:47 PM, a warrant was issued and entered for the arrest of Adrian Peterson for that charge. Since the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has referred the case to the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office, and the investigation has led to a, “true bill”, on a criminal offense, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office will not discuss details in reference to the case or investigation. At the time of this release, Adrian Peterson is not in custody at the Montgomery County Jail and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office does not have any details in the arrest of Adrian Peterson. 
 
 Peterson’s lawyer Rusty Hardin released a statement saying: 
 
 “Adrian Peterson has been informed that he was indicted by a grand jury in Montgomery County, Texas for Injury to a Child. The charged conduct involves using a switch to spank his son. This indictment follows Adrian’s full cooperation with authorities who have been looking into this matter. 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. 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.” 
 
 Listen to Nick Wright Break the Story with Sean Pendergast and Ted Johnson on The Triple Threat
– More trouble for the NFL. Star running back Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings has been indicted on child abuse charges involving his 4-year-old son, reports MyFox Houston. In a statement, the player's attorney says the incident involves Peterson "using a switch to spank his son" and says it's the same kind of discipline Peterson received growing up in Texas. The incident took place in May when the boy was visiting Peterson in Houston, and the child's mother took him to the doctor upon his return to Minnesota, reports CBS Minnesota. The doctor said the boy "had a number of lacerations on his thighs, along with bruise-like marks on his lower back and buttocks and cuts on his hand," and termed it "child abuse" in the police report, says the station. Peterson told police that he "whooped" his son with the branch of a tree and even showed them the kind of switch he used. CBS Houston reports that Peterson texted the boy's mother and said one of the wounds would make her "mad at me about his leg. I got kinda good wit the tail end of the switch." He also told her he accidentally hit the boy's scrotum. “Never do I go overboard!" he texted. "But all my kids will know, hey daddy has the biggie heart but don’t play no games when it comes to acting right.” The Vikings have deactivated him from Sunday's game, and Texas authorities have issued an arrest warrant. (Last year, Peterson's 2-year-old son was killed after an alleged assault by the boyfriend of the child's mother.)