Updated — September 15, 2:45 p.m. ET.
The Minnesota Vikings announced Monday that running back Adrian Peterson, who was indicted Friday on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child, will participate in practices this week and is expected to play in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints. Peterson had been deactivated for the Vikings 30-7 loss to the New England Patriots.
Today's decision was made after significant thought, discussion and consideration. As evidenced by our decision to deactivate Adrian from yesterday's game, this is clearly a very important issue. On Friday, we felt it was in the best interests of the organization to step back, evaluate the situation, and not rush to judgment given the seriousness of this matter. At that time, we made the decision that we felt was best for the Vikings and all parties involved.
To be clear, we take very seriously any matter that involves the welfare of a child. At this time, however, we believe this is a matter of due process and we should allow the legal system to proceed so we can come to the most effective conclusions and then determine the appropriate course of action. This is a difficult path to navigate, and our focus is on doing the right thing. Currently we believe we are at a juncture where the most appropriate next step is to allow the judicial process to move forward.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and support Adrian's fulfillment of his legal responsibilities throughout this process.
Adrian Peterson said in a statement to ESPN's Adam Schefter on Monday that his attorney has asked him not to discuss the pending case. Peterson said that his intention was to discipline his son "the way I was disciplined as a child," not to cause injury.
My attorney has asked me not to discuss the facts of my pending case. I hope you can respect that request and help me honor it. I very much want the public to hear from me but I understand that it is not appropriate to talk about the facts in detail at this time. Nevertheless, I want everyone to understand how sorry I feel about the hurt I have brought to my child.
I never wanted to be a distraction to the Vikings organization, the Minnesota community or to my teammates. I never imagined being in a position where the world is judging my parenting skills or calling me a child abuser because of the discipline I administered to my son.
I voluntarily appeared before the grand jury several weeks ago to answer any and all questions they had. Before my grand jury appearance, I was interviewed by two different police agencies without an attorney. In each of these interviews I have said the same thing, and that is that I never ever intended to harm my son. I will say the same thing once I have my day in court.
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. 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.
I have learned a lot and have had to reevaluate how I discipline my son going forward. But deep in my heart I have always believed I could have been one of those kids that was lost in the streets without the discipline instilled in me by my parents and other relatives. I have always believed that the way my parents disciplined me has a great deal to do with the success I have enjoyed as a man. I love my son and I will continue to become a better parent and learn from any mistakes I ever make.
I am not a perfect son. I am not a perfect husband. I am not a perfect parent, but I am, without a doubt, not a child abuser. 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.
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.
Adrian Peterson turned himself in to authorities in Montgomery County, Texas, early Saturday after he was indicted on charges that he struck and injured his son. The NFL player was booked into the Montgomery County jail at 1:06 a.m. CT and released less than 30 minutes later after posting $15,000 bond, ESPN reported.
NFL running back Adrian Peterson was indicted by a Texas grand jury Friday for child abuse, his attorney said.
The indictment stems from an incident where Peterson struck his son with a switch, his attorney Rusty Hardin told BuzzFeed News Friday in a statement.
According to the statement, Peterson "deeply regrets the unintentional injury" to his son:
Adrian Peterson has been informed that he was indicted by a grand jury in Montgomery County, Texas for Injury to a Child. The charged conduct involves using a switch to spank his son. This indictment follows Adrian's full cooperation with authorities who have been looking into this matter. Adrian is a loving father who used his judgment as a parent to discipline his son. He used the same kind of discipline with his child that he experienced as a child growing up in east Texas. Adrian has never hidden from what happened. He has cooperated fully with authorities and voluntarily testified before the grand jury for several hours. Adrian will address the charges with the same respect and responsiveness he has brought to this inquiry from its beginning. It is important to remember that Adrian never intended to harm his son and deeply regrets the unintentional injury.
A warrant reportedly was issued for Peterson's arrest after the indictment.
DEVELOPING: A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Adrian Peterson. At this time, Peterson is not in custody.
CBS Minnesota obtained images appearing to show the wounds the victim allegedly suffered during the incident.
“Child Protective Services confirms they are working on a case involving Peterson and an 11-year-old boy,” TMZ reported.
Peterson missed practice Thursday, but was back with the team Friday, Matt Vensel, Vikings reporter for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, said on Twitter.
Mike Zimmer said Adrian Peterson's absence from practice yesterday was just a "veteran day." So there's that.
Peterson was at practice today and was in the locker room afterwards. That was about three hours ago.
The Vikings deactivated Peterson for this Sunday's game against the Patriots, the team said.
The Vikings earlier said in a statement they were still "gathering information" about the incident.
The Vikings are in the process of gathering information regarding the legal situation involving Adrian Peterson. At this time, we will defer further questions to Adrian's attorney Rusty Hardin.
In 2013, Peterson's 2-year-old son Tyrese was killed after being beaten by 27-year-old Joseph Robert Patterson in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Patterson faces murder and child abuse charges.
Peterson posted the following message on Twitter earlier on Friday. It is unclear if this tweet is related to the indictment.
BuzzFeed News left messages with the Montgomery County District Court and will update this story with any response.