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Adrian Peterson’s lawyer says his client was ‘lumped in’ with Ray Rice

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, center, and his attorney Rusty Hardin, left, speak to the media Nov. 4 after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor assault charge in Conroe, Texas.
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, center, and his attorney Rusty Hardin, left, speak to the media Nov. 4 after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor assault charge in Conroe, Texas.
(Michael Minasi / Associated Press)
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Adrian Peterson’s recent legal troubles have nothing to do with the recent Ray Rice domestic abuse scandal, and it’s time to stop lumping the two situations together.

So said Peterson’s attorney Rusty Hardin a day after Peterson reached a no-contest plea deal to misdemeanor assault for striking his son, allowing the star running back to avoid jail time and focus on a possible return to the NFL.

“I hope and trust he doesn’t fall prey to all these publicized events involving other people, which had nothing to do with his situation,” Hardin said Wednesday on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike” show.

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“This is a parent disciplining a child and an unintended harm occurred. But it has nothing to do with child abuse, domestic abuse, family abuse and so on, so I hope he doesn’t continue to get lumped in with problems others have.”

Peterson was indicted in September, with prosecutors alleging that he used a “switch” or stick to discipline his 4-year-old son, leaving the child with cuts on his thighs and hand and bruises on his lower back and buttocks.

The Minnesota Vikings star had been charged with causing injury to a child, a felony that could have landed him as long as two years in prison. After the plea deal, he has to perform 80 hours of community service and pay a $4,000 fine.

Peterson has said he never intended to hurt his son and was only disciplining him in the same way he was brought up. But Peterson’s case came to light around the same time a graphic video of Rice, the former Baltimore Ravens running back, abusing his then-fiance was released to the public.

And that, Hardin said, has everything to do with how Peterson’s case was handled.

“On Sept. 4 we were informed a grand jury here had declined to charge [Peterson] and that it was over,” Hardin said. “And then the Ray Rice video came out that Monday on TMZ, and that next Thursday, the 11th, we were informed the grand jury was reconsidering [Peterson’s] case, and then he was indicted.”

Peterson has missed eight games while on the commissioner’s exempt list, basically meaning he was serving an indefinite suspension with pay while his legal issues played out. The NFL has yet to address Peterson’s case now that the legal issues have been resolved.

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Hardin said he hopes the NFL will view Peterson’s case without any consideration of Rice, whose appeal of his indefinite suspension is being heard starting Wednesday.

“Part of what’s happened here is lumping these athletes in together. They’re all individuals, they’re all different circumstances,” Hardin said. “What I’m hoping is the NFL and the public will assess them individually and not lump them together. And if they do that, I think Adrian has earned the right to get his chance.”

Twitter: @chewkiii

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