Yesterday, Minnesota Vikings running back and 2012 NFL MVP Adrian Peterson was officially reinstated after serving a one-game suspension over a Texas child abuse charge involving his young son. Now it looks like Peterson may be in more trouble, as he may be facing more child abuse raps, this time involving another four-year-old son.
CBS affiliate KHOU-TV cited text messages that supposedly include an image of the child with his head covered with bandages, suffering from an apparent wound. According to KHOU-TV, the son’s mother, who is different from the woman who bore the child from the earlier Texas case, filed a case with Child Protective Services, but no actual charges had been filed against Peterson. The Vikings RB is set to enter a plea at a hearing to be held October 8 in Conroe, Texas. If found guilty, Peterson could serve two years in prison and pay a $10,000 fine.
Peterson has remained mostly silent on the initial child abuse issue, but said on a prepared statement that he was disciplining his son in the same way his father did when he was young. In part, his statement asked “everyone to understand how sorry I feel about the hurt I have brought to my child,” and maintained that he is not a child abuser by nature. The 29-year-old superstar is expected to return to the Vikings in time for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.