Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson has managed to avoid jail time after a plea agreement reached with prosecutors to resolve his child abuse case.
Peterson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault under the deal that Montgomery County state District Judge Kelly Case approved during a court hearing. A no contest plea isn't an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing.
Peterson has been indicted for child abuse Friday. Issues broke out that Peterson hit his 7 year old son right after he pushed his other child from a motorbike video game. For Peterson, he was just reprimanding his child.
According to TMZ, after the child went home and confided with his mother, the mother took the child to a doctor to have him checked. After which the doctor contacted the authorities to report the incident. The doctor who checked the child termed the injuries as "child abuse."
Right after making the plea deal, Peterson faced the media reiterating that he regretted what he did to his son.
He said "I stand here and I take full responsibility for my actions. I love my son more than anyone of you could even imagine and I'm anxious to continue my relationship with my child. 'I'm just glad this is over. I can put this behind me, and me and my family can continue to move forward."
Peterson was not allowed to see his son when the case was still pending. But since the plea agreement has been allowed, he will now be able to see his son.
During one of his statements he said "I accept the fact that people feel very strongly about this issue and what they think about my conduct. Regardless of what others think, however, I love my son very much and I will continue to try to become a better father and person."
According to Peterson's attorney, Rusty Hardin "Adrian wants to get on with his life and have his relationship with his son and get back to playing football."
Peterson has been on paid leave from the Vikings under a special exemption from the NFL commissioner to take care of his legal problems.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said "We will review the matter, including the court record, and then make a determination on his status. We cannot provide a timetable."
