“There are a lot of belts in daddy’s closet” – Adrian Peterson’s son gave chilling account of former Vikings RB’s abusive behavior
Adrian Peterson may very well be an eventual Hall of Famer. He was a dominant running back for the Minnesota Vikings, winning MVP in 2012 with a stunning 2,000 yard season. That was the last time a non-quarterback won the award.
Despite all of his incredible on-field performances and records, there is one tarnish. Two years after that MVP season, he was indicted on child injury charges. Peterson's son, the victim of the alleged abuse, could be seen with multiple lacerations and bruises.
According to Sports Illustrated, the child, who was four years old at the time, gave an account of the abuse in an interview, saying:
"Daddy Peterson hit me on my face... There are a lot of belts in Daddy’s closet.”
The charges stemmed from a call from the Houston police, per the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department and Sports Illustrated:
"An unknown police department called the City of Houston police department with a complaint of child endangerment, and Houston referred it to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office where the alleged case occurred. Montgomery County investigated a complaint of 'injury to a child' and referred the case to the district attorney. The DA then handed the case to the Grand Jury."
The NFL suspended the star running back for one year as a result of the indictment.
Will Adrian Peterson make it into the Hall of Fame?
At 37 and having last played in the NFL in 2021 (though only four games), Adrian Peterson is all but finished in the NFL. Despite not officially retiring, it's unlikely that a team will sign a running back this late into his career.
Peterson is 82 yards shy of 15,000 for his career, a total only four running backs have ever achieved. The former Vikings star ranks fifth in NFL history.
He's fourth all-time with 120 rushing touchdowns scored, just three shy of Marcus Allen's record. In total, he has 126 touchdowns, which puts him 10th all-time for skill position players.
Despite that black mark, there's a very good chance that he will make it into the Hall of Fame one day. He's got the numbers to warrant it, though voters may have the abuse charge on their minds.