by Patrick H. Moore
Now that Adrian Peterson has been indefinitely suspended and is facing rather serious criminal charges for getting a little too carried away with WHOOPIN’ his four year old son, I can’t help but think he would have learned something from the fact his other son was killed in a child abuse case by the the boy’s mother’s boyfriend in October of 2013. It makes you wonder? In any event, here is the post we ran last October on the abusive death of Mr. Peterson’s other boy:
As the sporting world and compassionate folks everywhere reel in shock and disbelief at the beating death of NFL MVP Adrian Peterson’s 2-year-old son, it is now reported that the alleged killer, 27-year-old Joseph Patterson, has a history of domestic violence against women and children. In a recently posted online article Fox News provides numerous salient details on both the suspect and the child’s death and the caring response of the sporting world where Peterson is greatly admired:
Patterson — who has been charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery in the child’s death — and the child’s mother had recently moved in together. According to a Sioux Falls, South Dakota newspaper, The Argus Leader, court records show Patterson was previously indicted in 2012 on counts of simple assault of a woman and her 3-year-old son. In that case, Patterson was accused of spanking the 3-year-old with such force that the mother had to ice the injury. The complaint states that Patterson then grabbed the mother by the throat and had threatened “to kill me multiple times.” Patterson has a child with the woman.
In his disposition in the earlier case, Patterson was sentenced to a one-year suspended sentence for the earlier assault charges and for violating a no contact order. The sentence was suspended based on the agreement that he would undergo counseling.
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Lincoln County State’s Attorney Tom Wollman has confirmed the death of Adrian Peterson’s child, although the deceased is not being connected to Peterson in the official statements. The boy had been in critical condition in a hospital with severe head injuries since Wednesday and died at 11:43 a.m. at Sandford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls after being removed from life support Friday.
As All Things Crime Blog reported in our earlier post, the police have stated that Patterson was the only one in the home with the 2-year-old boy when paramedics responded to the call. It is unknown at this time if the boy’s mother was aware of his previous conviction for domestic and child abuse.
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Although Peterson missed Thursday’s football practice at the Minnesota Vikings’ Winter Park training facility in order to be in Sioux Falls for a “personal situation,” he returned to practice with the team Friday.
Peterson spoke to reporters on Friday about an hour after the child’s death and stated that he was certain he’ll play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
“I’ll be ready to roll, focused. I will be playing Sunday, without a doubt.”
In a statement that epitomizes the love that some players feel for the game of football and its relationship to the larger issues in life, Peterson stated:
“Football is something I will always fall back on. It gets me through tough times. Just being around the guys in here, that’s what I need in my life, guys supporting me. … Things that I go through, I’ve said a thousand times, it helps me play this game to a different level. I’m able to kind of release a lot of my stress through this sport, so that’s what I plan on doing.”
As is to be expected there has been a great outpouring of support for Peterson at this difficult time, both personally and on the social media:
“Sick for my friend. Strong guy but this will bring the strongest down,” NBA star LeBron James tweeted.
“You and your family are in my prayers,” Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III tweeted.
“It’s absolutely terrible. Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family, and hopefully things work out,” Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said.
Peterson is the second in the NFL in rushing this year with 421 yards and first in the league with five touchdowns. Last year in a remarkable recovery from reconstructive knee surgery, he returned to rush for 2,097 yards and win the league MVP award.
Classy gentleman that he is, Peterson tweeted Friday:
“The NFL is a fraternity of brothers and I am thankful for the tweets, phone calls and text messages from my fellow players.”
Click below to view our previous post on Adrian Peterson’s tragedy:
Football Great Adrian Peterson’s Son Dies after Violent beating by Mom’s Boyfriend