Adrian Peterson turns himself in to Texas authorities

Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson turned himself in to Texas authorities early Saturday after he was indicted Friday on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child because he struck his young son with a switch.

Peterson turned himself in to the Montgomery County jail around 1 a.m. Central time, according to authorities.

Shortly after he was booked, Peterson was freed on a $15,000 bail, according to media reports.

Peterson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said his client is accused of disciplining his 4-year-old son by hitting him with a switch, which is a smooth, slender branch or thick twig.

The Vikings on Friday afternoon deactivated Peterson for Sunday’s game against New England when the indictment was made public.

Team officials knew of the incident for several weeks, but thought Peterson had been cleared of all criminal charges, an NFL source told the Los Angeles Times.

The abuse allegations surfaced shortly after the child returned to his mother’s Minnesota home, according to the source, who said a doctor noticed “a mark” caused by a switch during a routine appointment.

Staff writer Sam Farmer contributed to this report.