Updates from Tuesday, Oct. 7
Adrian Peterson offered a rebuttal to the Star Tribune's report on Twitter Tuesday night in a series of three screenshots:
Original Text
As Adrian Peterson prepares to appear in a Texas court Wednesday to contend charges of child abuse on his four-year-old son, new details on the dichotomy between the Minnesota Vikings star's off-the-field life and on-field image have emerged.
A detailed profile of Peterson, written by Mike Kaszuba, Rochelle Olson and Paul McEnroe of the Star Tribune, paints the picture of a player who always had more going on than met the eye. Though he married his longtime girlfriend earlier this summer, he has fathered "at least" six children to six different women, according to the report. Peterson was also subject to a 2011 sexual misconduct investigation and has filed misleading tax records through his charity, the All Day Foundation.
The sexual assault investigation, in which a woman accused Peterson of rape at an Eden Prairie, Minnesota, hotel, resulted in no charges. The Star Tribune report indicates Peterson was cooperative throughout the investigation, taking a polygraph exam and submitting evidence that exonerated him.
The profile shared details from the police report concerning the incident:
The 38-page police report details a night of drinking, arguing and sex that involved the running back, two relatives — including Peterson’s brother, a minor — and four women, in various pairs. One of those present, Chris Brown, a Peterson relative who lives with him in Eden Prairie, told police that he paid for the room using a company credit card for Peterson’s All Day, Inc.
According to the police report, a woman who "knew" Peterson became enraged when he was caught having sex with another woman. She and Peterson engaged in a verbal altercation, and a day later one of the four women from the hotel room filed a sexual assault claim against him.
“The presumption of guilt is magnified for someone like AP, even when he’s innocent,” Peter Wold, Peterson's attorney, said.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk provides a statement from Peterson lawyer Rusty Hardin, who addressed this story:
Adrian did not have a foundation credit card and did not use the foundation’s funds for personal expenses,” lawyer Rusty Hardin said in a statement. “There is no question that prior to 2011, issues existed with the administration of Adrian’s foundation. When this was brought to his attention, Adrian made changes to the organization and brought in new leadership.
Since that time, Adrian and his foundation have given more than $1.4 million to many worthy causes, including many to organizations that benefit children. Importantly, Adrian has seen fit to contribute over $1 million of his own funds to this charitable work. Adrian and his family are understandably proud of the foundation and the good work that it has done and continues to do.
We are in the unfortunate position that today, like so many other days, there are more stories about Adrian, fueled by nothing more than his fame. Given the multitude of allegations that inevitably flow against a public figure, we will no longer try to respond to each and every new unfounded charge. We will simply hold our comments for the trial that Adrian is entitled to in a forum that has rules and requirements of proof.
Because there were no charges filed, the investigation did not become public. The Vikings did not discipline him for the incident, nor was it clear in the Star Tribune report whether the team was made aware of it. TMZ Sports previously reported Peterson's sexual assault investigation. A year after the investigation, Peterson was cleared of resisting arrest charges after an incident in a Texas nightclub.
The more curious part of the Star Tribune report comes from tax records related to his charity. Multiple organizations listed as having received funds from Peterson's organization denied involvement. Donna Farley, whose Straight From the Heart Ministries in Laurel, Maryland, allegedly received $70,000 from the All Day Foundation in 2009, said "definitely not" when asked if Peterson's foundation donated to her organization.
The Star Tribune also noted a strange lack of donations in 2011:
The charity’s 2011 financial report showed $247,064 in total revenue, and listed just three organizations that received money. A fourth outlay, entitled simply 'clothing for needy families,' listed 'unknown' for the number of recipients.
The website for Peterson's charity has been taken offline during his child abuse investigation.
"The Adrian Peterson All Day Foundation website is temporarily offline to allow its charity partners to continue focusing on their outstanding community efforts rather than responding to the numerous media inquiries," the statement on the home page reads. "The Foundation will continue to support the various philanthropic causes that Adrian and his family care so deeply about."
Peterson, 29, was indicted on a charge of reckless or negligent injury to a child on Sept. 12 in Montgomery County, Texas. The child's mother filed the claim after Peterson used a switch—a small stick—to discipline the child, leaving welts across his body. Peterson has maintained his innocence, rebuffing claims that he is a child abuser.
"My goal is always to teach my son right from wrong and that's what I tried to do that day," Peterson wrote in a statement. "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."
The Vikings placed Peterson on the exempt/commissioner's permission list on Sept. 17. He is banned from team facilities but is still being paid while the investigation is ongoing.
His arraignment hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
