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Peterson booked and released

Star running back turns himself in to Texas police
Peterson

MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was booked and released from a Texas jail on a child abuse charge early Saturday, capping a tumultuous week for the NFL, which already was facing heavy criticism for its handling of a domestic violence case involving another star player.

Peterson was processed at the Montgomery County jail and released on $15,000 bond, according to a sheriff’s office spokesman, Lt. Brady Fitzgerald. He is charged with causing injury to a child, allegedly by spanking one of his sons with a wooden switch, or tree branch.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Peterson remained in Texas after leaving the jail or if he returned to Minnesota. There was no activity outside of his home near Houston, and a man who answered the door at his home near Minneapolis said Peterson wasn’t there.

The star running back won’t play Sunday in Minnesota’s home opener against New England. Shortly after the news of the indictment broke Friday, the Vikings announced that Peterson had been benched for the game against the Patriots.

Brian McCarthy, a spokesman for the league, said Saturday that Peterson’s case “will be reviewed under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.”

Peterson’s arrest came with the NFL facing criticism for its handling of a domestic violence case involving former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice. Now the league has another public relations problem with the charge of child abuse against an even bigger star in Peterson.

Peterson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said his client “has never hidden from what happened” in the case.

“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 said Friday.

He said Peterson cooperated fully with the investigation, voluntarily testifying before a 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,” Hardin said.

A man who identified himself as Peterson’s uncle, Chris Peterson, answered the door Saturday at the running back’s house in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, near Vikings headquarters. He said Peterson was not there and declined to say where he was, but he said Peterson would release a statement “when he’s ready.”

Associated Press writers Jeff Baenen in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, David J. Phillip in Spring, Texas, and Tim Jacobs in Chicago contributed to this report.

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