Warrant issued for arrest of Vikings' Peterson (Trigger Warning: Graphic description of child abuse)

[Bjorn Against]

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

Warrant issued for arrest of Vikings' Peterson
Article by: MATT VENSEL , Star Tribune Updated: September 12, 2014 - 7:03 PM

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who has been indicted for reckless or negligent injury to a child in North Montgomery County, Texas.

snip

The radio station reported, according their law enforcement sources, that Peterson beat his 4-year-old son with a tree branch as a form of punishment for pushing his brother off a motorcycle video game. The 4-year-old suffered injuries to his legs, buttocks, back and scrotum.

The radio station reported that according to police reports, the child told authorities that “Daddy Peterson hit me on my face” and expressed concern that Peterson would punch him in the face if the child reported the incident to authorities. According to the police reports, the boy also said Peterson put leaves in his mouth when he was being hit with “the switch,” typically a tree branch with twigs or leaves removed, while the boy’s pants were down. He also reportedly told his mother that Peterson “likes belts and switches” and “has a whooping room.”

Photos from the child’s injuries were released by the Houston Police Department.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/274946031.html

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Let's hope the NFL takes domestic violence seriously this time, this should absolutely disgust everyone.

[madinmaryland]

1. I am really at a loss trying to figure this out. I thought as a society we had moved on

from paddling, spanking, etc.

The article indicates that Peterson admits to whipping and beating his child, but excuses it by saying that was what he was taught by his parents. Just fucking strange.

[awoke_in_2003]

18. Unfortunately we haven't (as a whole). nt

[Sopkoviak]

2. That was not disipline. Those pics are from a week after the beating

I can't think of anything that a 4 year old could possibly have done to deserve that kind of abuse.

Goodby Adrian.

[ripcord]

36. That was just a flat out beating

A number of welts on his back, thighs and genitals, how can someone treat a 4 year old like that?

[JVS]

3. Is it certain that he wasn't involved in the death of his child last year?

[NaturalHigh]

44. Yes, he had never met the kid.

In fact, he had supposedly only learned of the kid a couple of months before.

One might think, though, that after the tragedy of having that child killed by the mother's boyfriend, he might have been more sensitive to the issue of child abuse.

[rickyhall]

4. Wow, I was 12 when my dad hit me in the face the first time

for getting home late. My teachers knew about it and did nothing, but that happened nearly 50 years ago. When I was 4 I just got the belt.

[cali]

6. I sympathize

when I was 12, my father took me by the back of the neck and slammed my head into a wall for a poor report card. My mother told our doctor that I had accidentally run into a coat hook. I knew no one would believe me. My father was powerful, wealthy, well educated and respected. Another time he kicked me repeatedly as I was trying to flee upstairs because I didn't want to go to our ski house for the weekend.

It sucked.

[951-Riverside]

5. There was a time when this wasnt called abuse, it was called a whooping

[IMG][/IMG]

For someone who may have just gotten spanked at the most this looks like the worse kind of abuse but this is commonly practiced in the black community especially in the South. If a kid did something bad the parents (usually the mother) would go to the nearest bush, snap off a long twig (commonly called "the switch&quot , get a knife to shave the prongs off then go back in the house and "tan that hide".

The common striking places are the back, the hands, legs and buttocks.

If you were caught stealing, they'd tell you to put your hands out and beat it a few times and if you hid it, they would "tan that hide" and the welts that would take about a month to heal were treated as "reminders".

Southern black people didn't play around when it came to disciplining and I feel this is where that came from. I don't think he was doing it for a sick thrill, he did it because that's how some communities discipline their kids (Not that I agree with it).

Some people use belts, some use paddles, others use rulers and some use switches.

[Bjorn Against]

8. It is child abuse and there is no excuse for it

There are a lot of things that were done in the past that were awful, we are supposed to evolve beyond that. Beating an adult with a stick would be considered to be assault by just about everyone, and if it is assault against an adult it should be considered an even worse assault when it is inflicted on a child.

[951-Riverside]

12. Its the worst thing in the world to hear about but...

It happens a lot, its just not talked about and I get the sense that people especially those from affluent suburbia don't have a clue about this culture happening right under their noses so to read the description of what happened to this child probably angers those people to no end but as the story begins to take traction we will begin to see more people coming forward and talking about it (which is a good thing).

And I suspect is a lot of this stems from "Spare the rod, spoil the child" aka Proverbs 13:24.

Anyway, my point is this is not isolated thing, it is commonly practiced in certain communities (Not saying that its okay).

[Bjorn Against]

13. Believe me I am all too aware it happens, I care for a child who suffered brain damage from abuse

When I even hear about people spanking their kids it disgusts me, I have seen the effects of abuse with my own eyes and I know that it should never be accepted.

[hollysmom]

32. my mother was beaten as a child 10 kids and the depression

stressful times. Her parents did not hate her, just thought they needed to discipline the children - that taught her to not hit her kids, well rarely hit her kids anyway. Ditto my father, but their brothers and sisters hit their kids a lot. I had the good parents from both sides. They did not have education but they were intelligent and learned things.
My cousins talked about it a lot and most decided to not hit their kids. I had 75 first cousins not counting the ones that died young.

I don't think it is confined to single types of people as much as may be imagined. I think it crosses lines all over the place.

[cali]

9. It's criminal abuse and your generalizations are a heaping pile of shit. shame.

[onecent]

14. ???????????????

[rocktivity]

15. His own lawyer has implied

that they'll be taking the "He only did what he was taught was natural, and look at how well HE turned out" line of defense (as opposed to too many steroids or concussions).

Peterson’s attorney...who is vacationing in Europe...issued the following statement: “Adrian Peterson has been informed that he was indicted...This indictment follows Adrian’s full cooperation with authorities who have been looking into this matter.

"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...It is important to remember that Adrian never intended to harm his son and deeply regrets the unintentional injury.”

Hardin...told the Star Tribune, “He’ll be surrendering as soon as he can when it works out with the authorities, but we don’t have a time right now.”

rocktivity

[jwirr]

20. Not defending him because he is an abuser. But as a social worker who investigated abuse you

would be surprised how many abusers use the same techniques that their parent used on them. It is a generational thing.


I was lucky. My grandmother beat my father with a tire iron when he was a child. But when it came to us kids - he was the most gentle loving father that could exist. One does not have to follow in their parents footsteps.

[rocktivity]

24. For my parents' generation, it was discipline, not abuse -- and "everybody did it"

because it was considered "normal" and "proper" child-rearing -- spare the rod and spoil the child, the Good Book says.

My parents (Mom mostly, Dad was only called in for major infractions) would qualify as abusers by today's standards, I suppose. But it's a moot issue anyway, because it didn't work on me. I came to resent not being physically punished as the only reward of "being good" -- it's sparing positive reinforcement that "spoils" a child. And since my parents' brand of discipline also proved to me that might makes right, I came to derive more pleasure in getting revenge against authority figures than trying to appease them.

I know Peterson is barely 30, and I hope I'm not being unfair, but I do think he should have known better. Reacting to all child rearing situations with anger and physical force has long since been disproven. If he'd done just a little basic research, he would have known his son is at least a year away from truly grasping the concept of taking turns, and just cutting off access to the toy would have worked better.


rocktivity

[hollysmom]

34. stuffing leaves in the mouth of th kid for crying is not reasonable punishment in any culture

it is the mark of a bully then add that he threatened to punch the kid in the face if he told means he knew he went too far.

[jwirr]

41. I totally agree with what you have said about Peterson. He has lived in a very progressive state

and yet he has never rejected his parents words of "truth". I also think that there is an element of revenge against his wife in his treatment of his son. That is childish on his part. I hope they throw the book at him. He is a example to other parents that this is not they way.

[CBGLuthier]

17. was popular among southern whites too. My mother loved to use switches

But she never left open wounds on my body abusive as it was. Anyone who tries to justify this kind of beating can go fuck themselves with a rusty chainsaw.

[Dont call me Shirley]

19. Others use bare hands on bare behinds and swear it's not abuse.

We need to stop teaching our boys and girls violence.

Time to get rid of the violent tv, violent video games, violent music, violent sports, violent discipline.

Time to stop the bullying, cyber-bullying, ridiculing, shaming.

Time to start teaching adults and children compassion, kindness, gentleness, caring, empathy, sympathy, consideration, respect, cooperation...

[Blue_Tires]

23. Not sure where that photo is from

but that's just a stick...

A proper "switch" is picked off a tree or bush with long, green flexible branches so you get that "whiplash" action to it...(i.e., a Weeping Willow tree or something similar provides very durable switches)...A good rule of thumb is the switch should have a medium-high pitch 'whistle' when waved in the air with little effort...

And parents *never* pick out switches -- The offending child is always made to do it as an added layer of humilation...

Yes, I'm African-American, and yes, I was raised in the south by parents who were also raised in the south...Personally, I preferred the switch to the belt, because there was always this latent fear in my mind that I might cross the line and anger my father to the point where he would use the buckle end of the belt (For the record I never, ever got the buckle; but I'd heard stories from schoolmates who got it in their homes and I wanted NO part of it...)

I'm surprised to see this still going on since parenting in the U.S. has become much more enlightened since I was a kid...I just turned 38 on Thursday, and I thought I was the tail end of the last generation to even know firsthand what a switch was, aside from a few deep backwoods folks still clinging to the old ways...

It's funny how much "expertise" I remember about this...My parents were in no way abusive; they were worldly, highly educated professionals and I can count on ONE hand the number of times I received physical punishment...I can say it does leave a searing memory...

[VanillaRhapsody]

30. but not just Black families....White families in the South too....

mine and many others around the poverty line it seems. I grew up around military families and that might contribute to it too...though generally overworked and stressed out parents often take the easy way out when it comes to child discipline. And its a cyclical phenomenon exactly as you described.

[Art_from_Ark]

45. The words I always dreaded to hear when I was at a friend's house:

"I'm gonna whip you" or "Go fetch me a switch". Sometimes, what was perfectly acceptable at my house when I was a kid (like reaching into the freezer for a homemade popsicle on a summer day without explicit permission) was treated as a capital crime at their house

[VanillaRhapsody]

47. It was pretty abusive at my house.....

[obama2terms]

40. This is abuse plain and simple

What could a 4 year old POSSIBLY do that would warrant this kind of treatment? They throw tantrums, they scream, they have accidents, and if they have siblings they fight (biting was a favorite with my nieces and nephews). But they are small children and that's just how small children can be sometimes, and in those situations you have to be the adult and just let it pass. If this guy didn't want to deal with all of that, then he shouldn't have had a kid in the first place! Little kids are fun and sweet for the most part, but they have their moments and you just have to deal with them. And another thing, say he didn't hurt his son at all, and these marks were on a let's say wife or girlfriend? Would anyone be saying "it's just discipline", and what about if it was a random person he assaulted like that? That's what it would be, assault, so why is it o.k. to do this to a child? If he did this to someone his own age or close to it, he'd be in jail, but if it's a child it's somehow o.k. That I don't understand. Also, this child is probably traumatized beyond belief that someone that should have cared about him betrayed him like that. I just hope there are plenty of people in this child's life to give him the love he deserves, and I also hope that there is a nice pretty prison cell for daddy, where he will probably make tons of new "friends".

[ErikJ]

7. Football brain trauma

Maybe they need to outlaw contact football while theyre at it.

[hollysmom]

35. and 'roids.

[rocktivity]

10. “Daddy Peterson...” Is that a direct quote?

I mean, from a 4-year-old?


rocktivity

[Bjorn Against]

11. The child lives with his mother and was visiting Peterson

I don't know the child's living arrangement, but it seems likely he may have step father as well in which case referring to a "Daddy Peterson" would not seem so unusual.

[freshwest]

16. Link says he repeated what was done to him as a child. The long line of abuse must be broken.

Glad this is being taken seriously so the whole family can get help. It's not like they're going to be living on different planets. They'll be together again. That wasn't love, it was more like torture. Poor kid.

[davidpdx]

22. I know this is a bit off topic

But I think people who have been physically, sexually, or emotionally abused as a child should really think about whether they can handle having children. I am not saying it is their fault nor am I saying every person who has been abused will abuse their children, but that the cycle of violence and abuse has a way of repeating itself.

Personally for me I had a crappy childhood with lots of problems. It has always made me think whether I could handle having children or not. I chose fairly early on as an adult that I didn't. It is a personal choice and maybe a bit of an extreme one, but given the similarities between myself and my parents I think it would be a bad decision for me to have kids. Granted there are still times when I think of what it would have been like to be a parent. I still have nieces and nephews who's lives I can take part in to a certain degree.

I just feel very bad for kids who grow up with abuse at the hands of their parents who were also abused.

[rocktivity]

25. There was a pro athlete who grew up with so much abuse

he started seeing a psychologist the minute he found out he was going to be a father.


rocktivity

[davidpdx]

26. I think that's a bit late to deal with such trama

and a short amount of time before becoming a parent (assuming it was as you say as soon as he found out that would be 9 months). No one can overcome that much pain in that little time.

[freshwest]

27. You made the right choice for you. I think some haven't comprehended their own wounds, but you have.

I've seen families where this went on generations, and perverse as it sounds, the abusers say they are protecting their kids this way from a worse fate.

Which means they haven't understood what was done to them was wrong they don't want to lose the illusion of love.

I've heard the process of stopping the abuse is like a person falling from a building, wind rushing by, and trying to change their clothing at the same time. Trying to change while in the midst of an emotional turmoil they relive over and over.

And more respect needs to be shown to those who choose to not have kids, or not get married, or whatever. The old saying is we should be kind because unknown to us, the person we meet make be going through something terrible. We just can't see it.

I'm not condoning or excusing his doing this, but the hard reality for those who want an easy solution such as tearing the family apart, cannot afford the money to be sure there will never be any more abuse. I don't know if the man will get prison or not, but this may set into motion with willingness on all parts, a a solution for them.

Much pain in this world, inflicted for no reason it appears, just repetition. Thanks for your story.

[davidpdx]

29. I should add to the story that when I was 19 I had a close call

Someone that I had been with ended up pregnant and the finger got pointed at me. A paternity test proved the child wasn't mine. I think that scared the living shit out of me and led to me making that decision early in my life. Looking back, while it was scary maybe going through it may have been one of the things that helped me think about whether I wanted that.

Had it gone the other way, I can't imagine where I'd be today. Probably a dead-end job with no education.

[VanillaRhapsody]

31. Its exactly why I didn't have children.....I didn't want to become that.....

I have a brother who for most of his life felt the same way....then he married a much younger woman that he loves and relented and agreed to one child.....

I was quite right in deciding on not having children....as I married someone who gave me far worse for quite a number of years before we split up.....pretty much proving my theory that I probably would have succumbed to it as well...my self-esteem was so depleted...I married the abusive husband because it was "familiar" the cycle did continue for a time.

[davidpdx]

37. I'm glad to hear you got out and that you didn't have kids

I'll only say I've "seen" that before and let you draw the inference. I feel strongly that kids who are exposed to violence end up in the never ending cycle with the boys being the abusers and the girls being the abused.

It sure makes me wonder with the incidents of the NFL players abusing their wives, if the wives witnessed or were abused as children.

[the_sly_pig]

21. Ahhh stupid people....

physical violence leaves bruises; words only leave mental scars. Children have no rights. Many parents have no sense. Regardless of the situation, the apple never falls far from the tree......

[davidpdx]

28. And there in lies the problem

The repeated cycle of violence is an ugly thing. If you have experienced violence or abuse and are going to have kids you should either: 1) Get an intense amount of help well before becoming a parent (or finding out you are going to become a parent); or 2) Not have children at all.

[TheNutcracker]

33. These are moneymakers for the corporations. Also, ignorant bullies who in now way should be

role models. Or paid millions.

[kickysnana]

38. Good parents are made not born. DU needs to think before we attack.

What good would prison, loss of career do for either his dad or his son? Such venom!

There is a whole segment of America and the world that sees corporal punishment such as spanking as not only proper but holy. (Not me) You only know what you have lived and whooping is what Peterson lived. When your whole life is football, or business or medicine, you may have missed the part about the world having changed (or not see above). His child misbehaved badly. He was confused by his kids response to being disciplined. He did not hide what he was doing.

The man needs a parenting classes and a chance to get to know and have a relationship with his son. His son needs a few classes also, it is not normal for a kid to try to kill another kid (brothers excluded, which is why there are parents) and that would have freaked me out as a young parent.

[CBGLuthier]

39. I broke my cycle. WTF should I forgive an asshole who went to college and still did this?

In this modern age I do not buy that bullshit. Everyone with a fucking education and a sense of decency knows this is god damned wrong. He is hiding behind his religion so fuck him.

I was beaten constantly as a child but I did not do that to my children so to hell with anyone who does.

[kickysnana]

43. Nice language. I can tell you are good with kids. n/t

[d_b]

42. what a piece of shit

all upset when his other son was beaten to death by a fellow child abuser - he had me fooled.

fuck him.

[Paladin]

46. Watch for how this plays out in Montgomery County, Texas.

Montgomery County is an interesting environment. The southern part of the county largely consists of well-to-do Houston suburbs (The Woodlands, et al), with good schools, golf courses, a large shopping mall, and lots of substantial businesses in place. The northern part of the county still resembles rural East Texas in many ways, with country folks making it on limited incomes. The courts are situated in the county seat of Conroe, an old oil and farming community in the northern part of the county, which has benefited from the sprawling affluence of the southern portion of the county. The process of selecting a jury in Montgomery County is always interesting.