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Adrian Peterson reflects on the 2014 incident that changed his Vikings career
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- Adrian Peterson reflects on the 2014 incident that changed his Vikings career
Adrian Peterson reflected on the 2014 child abuse incident that led to his season-long suspension from the NFL and contributed to the end of his time with the Minnesota Vikings.
In an interview with NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the legendary Vikings running back referred to the incident, in which he was accused of child abuse after using a switch to spank his then-4-year-old son , as a "little situation."
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"Outside of that, what ifs, you know, there was a little situation I had in Minnesota, with everything with my son and everything," Peterson said. "Just that year being pretty much negated. And then, just how everything kind of ended with Minnesota. I feel like had those things not happened, I probably would have stayed in Minnesota a little longer, and who knows what could have came from those seasons of me being there and being the primary back and the things I could have done on the field to help my team."
The NFL placed Peterson on the Commissioner's Exempt List in 2014 after he was indicted on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. Peterson eventually pleaded no contest to a reduced charge and was sentenced to two years of probation, fined $4,000 and ordered to perform 80 hours of community service.
Peterson played just one game in 2014 before missing the remainder of the season, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying Peterson had "shown no meaningful remorse" for his conduct.
Shortly after being suspended, Peterson told USA Today, "I won't ever use a switch again ."
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What if Peterson had played the entire 2014 season? He rushed for at least 1,200 yards in every previous season except 2011, when an ankle sprain and later a torn ACL limited him to 970 yards in 12 games. Had he added another 1,200 yards in 2014, he would've finished his career with 16,118 rushing yards instead of 14,918, moving him from fifth to third on the NFL's all-time rushing list, ahead of Barry Sanders and Frank Gore.
He returned in 2015 and rushed for more than 1,400 yards, but suffered a torn meniscus two games into the 2016 season. That proved to be Peterson's final season in Minnesota, as the Vikings declined to exercise a contract option that would have paid him $18 million for his age-32 season.
After leaving Minnesota, Peterson bounced around the league, playing for New Orleans, Arizona, Washington, Detroit, Tennessee and Seattle before his career ended following the 2021 season.
In 2018, Peterson admitted he was still using a belt to discipline his children, telling Bleacher Report , "I had to discipline my son and spank him the other day with a belt."
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Despite the controversy surrounding the 2014 incident, Peterson remains one of the most accomplished players in franchise history. The Vikings announced earlier this year that Peterson will be inducted into the team's Ring of Honor during halftime of their Week 9 game.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Vikings section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
