Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson was briefly detained in a Texas jail early Saturday after being charged with injuring a child, according to the website of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
Peterson was held on a $15,000 bond early on Saturday morning and was released within about 30 minutes, jail records showed. He was indicted by a grand jury in the county north of Houston, and police issued a warrant for his arrest on Friday.
Peterson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said Peterson had testified in front of the grand jury that indicted him. Peterson missed practices Aug. 20-21 with what the team called personal reasons.
“This indictment follows Adrian’s full cooperation with authorities who have been looking into this matter,” Hardin said in a statement.
TMZ reported that the incident happened while the 4-year-old boy was visiting Peterson at his home in Texas in May. TMZ reported that when the child returned to his mother in Minnesota, injuries were noticed and the child was taken to the doctor, and the doctor soon contacted authorities.
The CBS television station in Houston cited law enforcement sources in reporting that Peterson told police he used a tree branch in a "whooping" on his 4-year-old son in Spring, Texas, in May as punishment for pushing another one of the athlete's children.
Hardin said Peterson had disciplined his son using a switch but had never meant 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’s statement said.
The charges come on the heels of the NFL indefinitely suspending Baltimore Ravens three-time Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice for domestic violence.
The Vikings said in a statement they would drop Peterson from the team's roster for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots as the team looks into the matter.
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"The Vikings are in the process of gathering information regarding the legal situation involving Adrian Peterson," the team said in a statement.
Peterson, 29, a six-time Pro Bowl running back and a former NFL Most Valuable Player, is in his eighth season in the league, all with the Vikings. He has rushed for 10,190 yards and scored 91 touchdowns, 86 on the ground, in his career.
In 2012, Peterson rushed for 2,097 yards, the second-most in a single season in NFL history, trailing only Eric Dickerson's 2,105 in 1984 with the Los Angeles Rams.
A two-year-old boy fathered by Peterson died in October 2013 after being allegedly assaulted by the mother's boyfriend in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The man, Joseph R. Patterson, was indicted on second-degree murder charges.
Peterson told reporters at that time he had learned about the child only two months before and been preparing to provide financial assistance to him and his mother.
Reuters contributed to this report. The Pioneer Press is a media partner with Forum News Service.
