Minnesota Vikings’ running back, Adrian Peterson, was placed on the exempt list by the team, after being indicted on child abuse charges.

Montgomery County, Texas district attorney Phil Grant said Peterson was charged with one count of injury to a child, which could send him to jail for up to two years, or probation at minimum.
According to the star running back’s lawyer Rusty Hardin, Peterson admits to punishing his four-year-old son because he pushed one of his siblings.

AP apparently used a “switch” to hit his son, and inflicted visible cuts and bruises.

Pull Quote:

“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.”

–Peterson’s attorney Rusty Hardin

The Vikings deactivated Peterson the following game, and then reinstated him the following Monday. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell then placed AP on the exempt list, excluding him from practicing or playing for the Vikings.

Being on this list means that Peterson will not play, but will still be paid as if he were. By placing Peterson on this list, it gives the Vikings a chance to keep the player, and not play him until his court case plays out. Thus far, similar treatment has been used for Panthers’ defensive end, Greg Hardy, who is facing domestic violence charges of his own.

So, the question arises, should Peterson receive the same treatment or punishment as Hardy or other players who have committed acts of domestic violence?

Cale

To begin, I would like it to be known that I haven’t investigated that deeply into Peterson’s case and the allegations of the child abuse. It’s something that is unnerving to me, and while I do not condone it or suggest we just “sweep it under the rug” like it didn’t happen, it’s not something I want to focus on. No child should be abused; it’s just that simple.

Yet, I don’t agree that Peterson should have received the same treatment as Hardy, or other violators of league policy. The situation is simply different. Peterson says he was simply trying to discipline his child, not hurt him. Acts of domestic violence are simply to cause pain, which is where the difference lies.

Another different part of Peterson’s case is that he has had many people come to his defense on social media and other outlets.

Lions’ running back, Reggie Bush, took to the radio to say that he was punished in a similar manner when he was a child, and that he supports punishing a child, not abusing them. Another NFL players, Cardinals’ defensive end, Darnell Dockett, tweeted his support for Peterson, saying that he received “whoopings” as a child, and that it was all out of love.

Peterson may have gotten out of hand when he was punishing his son. It should’ve never come to this point. However, I don’t feel that it is fair to label him, and punish him in the same way that domestic violence abusers are being treated.

Dave

In my opinion, I think it was a good decision to take Peterson out of competition while this whole thing blows over, and treat him the same way as a player accused of domestic violence. The NFL just went through a similar problem with Ray Rice, and the public backlash turned out to be a nightmare for the organization.

There is no easy solution for the NFL. If they let him play, however, the integrity of the organization is in doubt. Adrian admitted to injuring his child, so he now should accept the punitive measures that the NFL is dishing out.

There are two things that I think affected the decision to press charges in the first place, and why the NFL dished out the suspension that they did.

The first is the extremely young age of AP’s son. At four years old, the kid probably just graduated from day care. Taking a switch to him at that age I don’t think was necessary, especially when you are a superstar that a lot of people, especially children, look up to you.

The second thing that will affect how the NFL, jury and public view the incident is the degree of injury that was inflicted. Typically when punishing a child, using a strong voice and voicing threats is sufficient. In extreme circumstances, an open hand can get a point across quite effectively. But beating your child with an object to the point that blood is drawn goes too far in my opinion.

Despite the fact that Peterson was trying to discipline his son, as opposed lash out in anger like many of the domestic violence incidents, is countered by these two factors that make Peterson’s discipline look over the top.

I think Adrian is a legendary running back and probably even a decent father. But this goes too far, and I think the NFL is right to give him a similar suspension to those accused of domestic violence.

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