Adrian Peterson: ‘I am, without a doubt, not a child abuser’

Adrian Peterson issued his first public remarks Monday since being arrested on suspicion of causing injury to a child and indictment on child abuse charges this weekend.

The star Minnesota Vikings running back said in a statement that although he has been advised not to discuss the facts of the case, “I want everyone to understand how sorry I feel about the hurt I have brought to my child.”

“I am not a perfect parent, but I am, without a doubt, not a child abuser,” Peterson said in the statement, which is posted on the Vikings’ website. “I am someone that disciplined his child and did not intend to cause him any injury. No one can understand the hurt that I feel for my son and for the harm I caused him. My goal is always to teach my son right from wrong and that’s what I tried to do that day.”

Earlier this summer, Peterson spanked his 4-year-old son with a switch. A prosecutor in Texas said Peterson “exceeded reasonable standards,” leaving the child with cuts on his thighs and hand, and bruises on his lower back and buttocks.

The Vikings deactivated Peterson for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots but reinstated him Monday morning.

“I have to live with the fact that when I disciplined my son the way I was disciplined as a child, I caused an injury that I never intended or thought would happen,” Peterson wrote. “I know that many people disagree with the way I disciplined my child. I also understand after meeting with a psychologist that there are other alternative ways of disciplining a child that may be more appropriate.”

He added: “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.”

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