Vikings running back Adrian Peterson isn’t just trying to get back into the NFL. He’s trying to maintain custody of a son in Minnesota, and is going to counseling in an effort to do so.
According to Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Peterson is enrolled in four months of psychological counseling and parenting supervision, according to juvenile court records.
After Peterson was indicted on child abuse charges in Texas, Hennepin County officials asked Child Protective Services to take a look at the case of the boy, who lives with his mother in Minnesota.
Peterson gets supervised visits with his son, and is banned from using corporal punishment (though common sense ought to keep him from that). He’s also consented to parenting evaluations from a psychologist and social workers.
“The conditions in that petition are being met,” said Chuck Laszewski, spokesman for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
“He is doing what he’s supposed to do, and we’re hopeful once that has been completed he will be able to go back to playing,” Peterson’s attorney Emily Cooper said.
That won’t hurt Peterson’s effort to be reinstated by the league, sooner rather than later. He’s hoping to be back by March, while the league has set an April 15 date for him to apply for reinstatement.