Whether Adrian Peterson changes teams this offseason remains to be seen.
But Peterson said he’s a changed man, regardless.
The Vikings running back, in his first interview since his indictment on child abuse charges and his subsequent suspension for the rest of this season, told Tom Pelissero of USA Today that he knows he can’t discipline his children the way he had in the past.
“I won’t ever use a switch again,” Peterson said. “There’s different situations where a child needs to be disciplined as far as timeout, taking their toys away, making them take a nap. There’s so many different ways to discipline your kids.”
While he’s been painted as the worst kind of person after pictures emerged of the welts on his 4-year-old son’s legs from the tree branch he used to whip him, Peterson insisted the remorse he feels is real, and he hopes to repair the relationship with his son.
“No one knows how I felt when I turned my child around after spanking him and seeing what I had left on his leg,” Peterson said. “No one knows that Dad sat there and apologized to him, hugged him and told him that I didn’t mean to do this to you and how sorry I was.
“I love my son. I love my kids, my family. Like I said after I took the misdemeanor plea, I take full responsibility for my actions. I regret the situation. I love my son more than any one of you could even imagine.”
When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent the suspension letter to Peterson, he mentioned Peterson’s failure to show “meaningful remorse.”
Peterson denied that.
“Ultimately, I know I’ll have my opportunity to sit down with Roger face to face, and I’ll be able to say a lot of the same things that I’ve said to you,” Peterson said. “Don’t say that I’m not remorseful, because in my statement, I showed that I was remorseful. I regretted everything that took place. I love my child, more than anyone could ever imagine.”
It is hard to imagine, based on the photos we’ve all seen, and the descriptions of the injuries we’ve all read. And that makes Peterson’s growth as a father and a person will be a tougher climb than getting back on an NFL field.