Adrian Peterson accused of child injury charge

Adrian Peterson, star running back for the Minnesota Vikings, has been accused in a case of injury to children in Montgomery County, Texas.

Rusty Hardin, attorney for Peterson, 29, confirmed the accusation in a statement, said the case stems from discipline your child - whipping him with a tree branch. Peterson has cooperated with police in the case and testified before a grand jury for several hours, Hardin said.

"Adrian is a loving father who used his trial as a parent to discipline their child," Hardin said, adding that Peterson had experienced such discipline as a child himself in East Texas said. "Adrian has never hidden what happened."

He added: "It is important to remember that Adrian never wanted to hurt her son and deeply regrets the unintentional injury.

Until Friday, Peterson has not been arrested, according to a statement from the office of the sheriff of Montgomery County provided to Fox 26 in Houston. The sheriff's office said a grand jury on September 11 had "true billed" - essentially a charge - Peterson on injury to a child charge.

"A warrant was issued and entered Adrian Peterson for that office," said the sheriff's office without releasing further details about the investigation leading to the indictment.

Messages with the office of District Attorney of Montgomery County, which filed the case before the grand jury, was not immediately returned.

Peterson practices of training camp on August 20 and 21 so the team called personal reasons was lost. He did not play in any preseason game. In the season opener last Sunday, Peterson rushed for 75 yards on 21 carries in a 34-6 victory at St. Louis, a performance that drew mediocre.

On Friday, Peterson practiced before news of the charges broke down and did not seem bothered, laughing and joking with his teammates. The day before, Peterson took part in warm up but did not play in the main part of the practice; Vikings coach Mike Zimmer called a "Veterans Day."

Peterson, a selection of Pro Bowl six times, has rushed for 10,190 yards and 86 touchdowns in eight seasons. He also caught 208 passes for 1,715 yards and five touchdowns. He is a two time N.F.L. running champion who set the record for league single-game 296 yards as a rookie in 2007 his 2,097 yards rushing in 2012, the year he won the MVP award in the league, ranks second in the NFL story of Eric Dickerson in 1984 has 2,105 Vikings career records for rushing yards (10,190) and touchdowns (86).

But Peterson's personal life has made several tragedies and interactions with the police.

Since age 7, Peterson observed a drunk driver strike and kill his brother Brian, then 9, riding a bicycle. Peterson's father, Nelson, spent nearly seven years in prison for laundering drug money from the sale of crack cocaine.

A half brother of Peterson, Chris Paris, was shot dead in Houston the night before Peterson attended the NFL combine in 2007.

In July 2012, Peterson was charged with resisting arrest outside a nightclub in Houston, not far from his offseason home. Peterson and Hardin disputed the police version of events for Houston, and a grand jury declined to charge him.

And last October, Tyrese Ruffin, a child of 2 years old, Peterson knew nothing until a few months before he was killed in Sioux Falls, SD Joseph Robert Patterson, the groom's mother Ruffin, awaiting trial for murder the month next.