After stories have circulated all morning and in to the afternoon, the father of reigning NFL MVP Adrian Peterson is confirming that the 2-year-old in critical condition, and the suspected victim of child abuse, in a Sioux Falls, South Dakota hospital is the son of the football star.
Peterson spoke with the media today:
“I really appreciate all the support that I’ve been receiving from fans, the Vikings organization. This is a private matter and I would ask you all to please just respect my privacy and not ask at all about the situation at hand.”
Sioux Falls police spokesman Sam Clemens told USA TODAY Sports today that the child remains hospitalized in critical condition. Tom Wollman, the prosecutor in Lincoln County, S.D., said the child remains “unresponsive.”
27-year-old Joseph Robert Patterson has been charged with aggravated assault and aggravated assault on an infant. Police stated that he recently started a relationship with the mother of Peterson’s son. Court records show that Patterson has a history of domestic abuse.
UPDATE: Adrian Peterson’s son has died, USA Today Sports confirms. Our thoughts are with the child’s family and loved ones.
Clemens added:
“As officers and first responders got there, they found child was unresponsive and he was taken to the hospital. So they ended up calling police about that or letting them know. We had detectives talk to quite a few people to try to figure out what happened. What they ended up finding was that when the injuries happened there was one person with that child, and that person was Joseph Patterson. The injuries they found were head injuries. It was obvious to medical staff that abuse had taken place and that those injuries weren’t accidental.”
Police believe the mother was gone for a short period of time when the injuries incurred.
TMZ is citing multiple sources that are stating the child is currently on life support and hasn’t been responsive since 5:30 PM last night. They were told that the family is closely monitoring the situation and that the mother wishes to remove her son from life support if there is no improvement in the next 24 hours and donate his organs to people in need.
Peterson said that he plans on playing football Sunday. “I will be playing Sunday, correct that. I’ll be ready to roll, focused. I’m worried about getting a W on Sunday, being 1-0… You know, 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 and just being able to go out and play this game I love.”
Photo: WENN
