Photo by Steve Floyd
Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson was indicted Friday after being charged with causing injury to a child. It’s a felony charge that carries a two-year jail term and a $10,000 fine if he’s convicted. The Vikings decided last Friday to deactivate Peterson, who later flew back to Texas late Friday and posted a $15,000 bond.
He will return to Montgomery, Texas to have a hearing on the charges in the next several weeks. Peterson allegedly used a tree branch or switch to spank or discipline his four-year-old son in May of this year. The injuries were noticed by a doctor in May of this year when the child’s mom took the young boy in to be checked. The doctor notified the authorities.
Phil Grant, the local assistant district attorney, convened a grand jury and suggested indictment. Rusty Hardin is Peterson’s attorney. The timing of the indictment is very questionable.
Playing without Peterson Sunday was obviously difficult for the team and the coaches, and as the game progressed the New England Patriots dominated the suddenly mistake-prone Vikings 30-7.
Quarterback Matt Cassel was awful; he threw four interceptions and had a fumble.
Patriot’s defensive end Chandler Jones dominated the line of scrimmage; he blew by Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil for two sacks and three quarterback hurries on Cassel.
The Vikings did not help their cause — they dropped passes, missed blocks and tackles, and committed costly penalties. They played poorly: Jones also blocked Blair Walsh’s 48-yard field attempt. Had he made it, the Vikings would have trailed just 17-10 at half. However, Jones blocked it, scooped it up and raced 58 yards for the touchdown, making it 24-7 for the Patriots.
The victory was number 200 for Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, becoming the winningest active coach and just the sixth NFL coach in regular season history to join the 200 club.
Legendary quarterback Tom Brady, Cassel’s ex-teammate with the Patriots, was again superb with completing 15 of 22 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Brady’s QB rating was 102.3; the victory was his 149th as a starting quarterback with the Patriots, which is number two all-time. Running back Stevan Ridley gave the Patriots the power running game, rushing for a game-high 101 yards and touchdown.
The Vikings (1-1) ownership announced Monday that they re-activated Peterson, and he has been welcomed back with the team and will practice and attend meetings all week. He is expected to play Sunday at New Orleans versus the Saints (0-2).
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, on WDGY-AM 740 Monday-Friday at 12:17 pm and 4:17 pm, and at www.Gamedaygold.com. He also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Follow him on Twitter at FitzBeatSr. Larry welcomes reader responses to info@larry-fitzgerald.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.
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