Adrian Peterson Says He Won't Use A Switch Again; Doesn't Want Ray Rice Comparison
Adrian Peterson has given an in-depth interview for the first time since being indicted last Sept. for severely beating his four-year-old son in as an act of discipline.
The 29-year-old Minnesota Vikings running back made headlines last September when news broke claiming that he abused his four-year-old son whom the football star struck with a stripped tree branch, resulting in severe lacerations. Although his no-contest plea left him with the ability to continue with the 2014-2015 NFL season, the league officially decided he would remain suspended without pay.
Now, Peterson has spoken to USA Today about the incident, saying that he believed he would play in the NFL again. Still, he insists he learned from the situation and would never use a switch as a form of discipline again.
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"I won't ever use a switch again," Peterson told USA Today. "There's different situations where a child needs to be disciplined as far as timeout, taking their toys away, making them take a nap. There's so many different ways to discipline your kids."
The NFL released a statement on Tuesday, making it clear that Peterson could not be considered to be reinstated back into the league before April, after he violated the league's personal conduct policy. A portion of the letter NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote to the RB was included in the NFL's public statement about Peterson's suspension where he questioned the NFL player's remorse.
"You have shown no meaningful remorse for your conduct. When indicted, you acknowledged what you did but said that you would not 'eliminate whooping my kids' and defended your conduct in numerous published text messages to the child's mother," Goodell wrote. "You also said that you felt 'very confident with my actions because I know my intent.' These comments raise the serious concern that you do not fully appreciate the seriousness of your conduct, or even worse, that you may feel free to engage in similar conduct in the future."
"Ultimately, I know I'll have my opportunity to sit down with Roger face-to-face, and I'll be able to say a lot of the same things that I've said to you," Peterson told USA Today. "Don't say that I'm not remorseful, because in my statement, I showed that I was remorseful. I regretted everything that took place."
Ben Dogra, Peterson's agent, said he and the NFL star would have a discussion with the NFL Players Association and file an appeal in order to reinstate the RB in the league.Since the incident went public, Peterson was compared to former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice who assaulted his now wife in a video that went viral.
While Peterson is currently consulting his pastor for counseling along with a therapist outside of Washington D.C., he does not want to be compared to Rice.
"I take full responsibility, because I spanked my child, and no matter what my intentions were, I end up leaving those marks on his legs. That's the bottom line," Peterson said. "That's not what I tried to do, but that's what ended up happening. Don't put me in the same (category as Rice)."
