Grand Jury: NFL Star Went Too Far With Child Discipline

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, center, talks with teammate Xavier Rhodes, right, on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Saturday, Aug... Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, center, talks with teammate Xavier Rhodes, right, on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ann Heisenfelt) MORE LESS
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HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas prosecutor says a grand jury backed a child abuse charge against Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson after it spent several weeks reviewing “lots of evidence.”

Montgomery County prosecutor Phil Grant said Saturday that parents are entitled to discipline their children, but that grand jury members felt Peterson went too far after they looked at the child’s injuries.

Peterson is charged with causing injury to a child for allegedly spanking one of his sons with a wooden switch on or around May 18. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to two years in prison and fined up to $10,000.

Peterson was booked and released from a Houston-area jail earlier Saturday. The Vikings benched him for this weekend’s home opener against the New England Patriots.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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