Conroe, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian
Peterson reached a plea agreement in the child abuse case against him on
Tuesday.
Peterson was facing felony charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child
after he was accused of using a wooden tree branch to hit his 4-year-old son
as a disciplinary measure, resulting in visible injuries to the child.
Instead, he pleaded no contest and reached an agreement to a lesser charge of
one count of misdemeanor reckless assault and will avoid jail time. He is also
expected to get probation, pay a $2,000 fine and serve 80 hours of community
service.
Peterson is currently on the NFL exempt list while the court proceedings
continued. It is unclear when or if the star running back will be reinstated.
Peterson was initially deactivated prior to a Week 2 game against New England
after being indicted in September, then was reinstated by the team the
following Monday.
However, after backlash from sponsors, fans and the Minnesota government, the
Vikings reversed course and placed Peterson on the NFL’s exempt/commissioner’s
permission list. He is being paid despite not playing.
