OT - And Now Adrian Peterson in Trouble

Submitted by alum96 on

Well both Deadspin and TMZ reporting AP is in trouble so in today's day and age these are actually quite legitimate sites for breaking news.  Sounds like he hit his 11 year son with a switch. TMZ with the more inflammotry "child abuse" headline of course.

Fun times at NFL HQ.

Prepare for the litany of social media backlash... "back in my day a good switching was fine..."

Minnesota Vikings superstar Adrian Peterson has been indicted for child abuse in North Montgomery County, TX ... TMZ Sports has learned.   Sources connected to Peterson tell us ... the alleged victim is a male child from Minnesota who was visiting Adrian back in May at AP's home in Texas. 

We're told the child returned home to his mother in Minn. who noticed injuries and took the child to a doctor. A short time later, the doctor contacted authorities in Texas to report Adrian. 

Child Protective Services confirms they are working on a case involving Peterson and say the alleged victim is an 11-year-old boy. 

Peterson was indicted in Montgomery County for reckless or negligent injury to a child, this according to MyFOX Houston 26. 

Jay Glazer adds that Peterson has been cooperating with law enforcement, and will now have to turn himself in to authorities. Rapaport notes that Peterson testified before a grand jury weeks ago.
 

Deadspin.

TMZ.

Oscar

September 13th, 2014 at 11:21 AM ^

Is there a particular age you are referring to?  When I was spanked, it never made me think hitting someone else was acceptable.  My kids did copy that behavior when they were very young (<3), but they quickly learned the difference between spanking and hitting.

Perd Hapley

September 13th, 2014 at 12:22 AM ^

Wow this is a very sensitive issue and I can only offer my personal situation. I am the oldest (31 / born 1982 for date references). My brother and I Have received "the belt" a few times over the years. This coming from a man who grew up getting the switch from his mom and belt from dad when in trouble. My grand father was a Marine in WWII and that is what it was like back then. My father does not drink alcohol and is a very successful person whom I look up to. I only received this punishment on rare occasions when I deserved it. Most of the time he only threatened it. He would always say later that it hurt him to do that more than it hurt me and I believed him. Note that I don't think he ever hit me in the butt with the belt because I was always running and squirming around so the marks would obviously be on my legs. I believe my parents overall discipline (not just this kind of punishment) made me who I am today. I respect others and most of all my elders, police and authority figures and am a general good person (I may be somewhat biased). I respect women and have never laid a hand on one. I should also mention I have a great relationship with my mother and father to this day. In conclusion I think it really comes down to the person/ father in each situation and I do not know what happened in this situation but to say that everyone who spanks there kid is a child abuser is a broad generalization.

Wendyk5

September 13th, 2014 at 9:49 AM ^

I was spanked twice as a child, once for running across the street into traffic. I don't think it was a big deal, it was more of a whack on the butt. My kids have never been bad enough that I would think to spank or hit them. At 14 and 11 they're both respectful, fairly responsible kids. They do their homework without being asked, do their chores, don't talk back, etc.....Hitting them would not have created better people. 

ilah17

September 13th, 2014 at 11:40 AM ^

What does that mean, he's "spoiled"?

"Discipline" means "to teach," not "to punish." Parents are tasked with teaching their children how to behave. Punishment, especially physical punishment, is not a requirement for those lessons. And "consequences" and "punishment" are not the same thing, either. 

Gucci Mane

September 13th, 2014 at 2:18 AM ^

Maybe Peterson went too far, and the mother should have a conversation with him to decide how they will punish their child. However I find it disturbing where this country is headed, we love punishing people, to the point of ruining lives. We should stop sending people to prison and start helping people. The only reason someone should be in prison 10+ years for a first offense is for murder or rape.

ilah17

September 13th, 2014 at 10:34 AM ^

Before you comment on whether or not you think spanking is acceptable, please view the photos. He has bruises and lacerations on his legs, butt, back, even his scrotum, and his hands in self-defense. Self-defense! This is a four-year-old boy. The photos were taken one week after the "spanking." This is unacceptable, to put it mildly. If he had done this to a woman, everyone would be up in arms. Why is it ok to assault and batter a child? I don't believe in any physical punishment (and I have a five year old son, so I have backed up my feelings with action) but a hand to the butt is NOT what happened here.

uncleFred

September 13th, 2014 at 11:47 AM ^

Parts of this discussion have moved from whether or not Adrian's use of a switch in this specfic case crossed the line into child abuse, to a general indictment of the physical punishment of a child. A court wil determine the former question in this specific case. The latter question comes down to a parent's right and responsibility to instill appropriate values into a child. Failing to do this effectively does both the child and society in general a great disservice. 

I was spanked as a child. Almost always by my mother. Around the time I was eight or nine I had to go and select the switch that would be used. I was only spanked by my father a hand full of times he used his hand not a switch. I earned every single spanking I received. While I was not spanked often, I was spanked much more frequently than my sister (who I can only remember being spanked three or four times). One of my brothers (who interestingly was by far the smartest of us) got spanked more than I and my youngest brother was spanked the least of us boys.

As a child I was willful, stubborn, and willing to push every limit I ever encountered. I was also undeterred by timeouts, groundings, isolation, the removal of toys, stern words, or virtually any other method of discipline used to modify a child's behavor. My sister and youngest brother got the message more easily than I and my other brother. Looking back on my childhood it's a damn good thing that my parents were willing to spank me because that was the only way to get me the message that behaviors carry consequences and the those consequences are both switft and unavoidable. Because physical punishment, especially by my father, was the last resort, I also learned that it was something to be used sparingly and reserved for truly flagrant and major violations of the rules. 

By the time I was a teenager I'd learned not to initiate violence and that it was appropriate only as a last resort either to defend myself or the helpless. To respect other people and their possessions and space. To generally follow the rules of society. In other words I'd been appropriately socialized to live an a civilized world. The world of a child is not civilized. Some children never need to be touched to learn about civilzation, other don't get the message without more direct intervention. Many of the problems we face today are the direct result of the failure to appropriately civilize a substantial percentage of our children before they are in their middle to late teens. 

A responsible parent will use whatever means necessary to civilize their children while keeping them safe from harm. In some cases that means the appropriate use of physical discipline. Child rearing is never black and white and we as a society would be well served to remember that before equating all physical punishment with child abuse.

Shakey Jake

September 16th, 2014 at 10:06 AM ^

He won't say but some believe it is 7 and witih many different women. The man is as prolific inseminating as he is scoring tds.