Adrian Peterson Indicted

[VegasPackFan]

I don't know. Who's willing to absorb the PR nightmare of having him play? You underestimate the power of the press.

[pbmax]

The problem for AP and the NFL is that the press smells blood in the water after the Rice incident. The mostly liberal leaning mass media is definitely anti-discipline of any physical type. So it doesn't matter that most people probably don't have a problem with physical discipline (even though this appears to be extreme). It's the same as the Redskins issue. A vast majority of this country just doesn't care about that issue but the media won't let it go. It's gonna be the same with this one. They are going to crucify him. I bet he NEVER plays again in the NFL.

You are begging your own question. On the one hand saying that most parents would not object to physical discipline and just the press gets ginned up about it. But parenthetically acknowledge this wasn't just a spanking.

I don't think this makes the news if he spanked the kid, which would qualify as physical discipline. The cuts, blood, damage to a scrotum and punch to the head mean he inflicted bodily injury and didn't just tan the kid's hide. Those pictures tell a story of physical discipline most parents don't use - whip until there is blood multiple times.

But the biggest driver of the story is the indictment. A previous Grand Jury passed on handing down an indictment, but a recent one did. Why the change and why they re-submitted is the unexplored part of this story (to me anyway, I haven't even seen speculation why).

The one thing, outside of the choice of a switch he doesn't know how to use, that speaks to me about Peterson as an individual is a comment he made in the text messages that have been published in screen shots. He tells the Mother that he admires that the kid took it without tears but that his resistance to an outburst means this method of punishment will need to be discarded and he will need to come up with a new plan.

So Peterson is choosing a punishment to get a particular reaction out of a child rather than one that will simply impart the lesson. He has moved past the kid's transgression and now made it personal between himself and the child. The important part is how the child reacts to what Peterson is doing. Which means the original lesson is lost on both of them and they are playing an entirely different game.

[Pugger]

I hope they throw him in jail until he rots. No sane person would ever think this is acceptable behavior. What terrible deed could a 4 year old do to warrant this type of barbaric torture? That child will have scars that will never heal.

[hoosier]

1. Always glad to see Ras here. Don't agree world is screwed and don't agree more physical discipline is needed for what trouble remains. I tend to associate "the world is going down the tubes" viewpoint with watching too much TV news. Ras can tell me whether my theory holds for him or not.

2. Goodell will survive but the aura of invincibility is over; now he will get press treatment closer to Selig. And nowhere as near as deferential as Stern. Owners still support him but the teflon is gone. The biggest cost of this fiasco is that he is probably going to lose his Czat status as judge and jury over HGH and probably will lose it over Personal Conduct after all is said and done. Those are two good things to come out of horrible situations. Presiding over the Peterson case will be tough because while the the age, the switch, the punch and the injury to the scrotum make it egregious, the idea of corporal punishment is not universally disapproved.

3. Personal experience with paddling. The fear of those paddles never changed much behavior. It moved it to other venues or encouraged cover ups. In that way paddling is like prohibition.

Agree with all of these points, except that the world is going down the tubes cannot be just a function of too much news on the tube. If you don't believe me, check out a Harpers from 1860 and you'll see that the state of the world was no different then than it is now. Or Plato for that matter. It would seem that things have been getting worse and worse in the world ever since people started talking about it.

[sharpe1027]

The problem for AP and the NFL is that the press smells blood in the water after the Rice incident. The mostly liberal leaning mass media is definitely anti-discipline of any physical type. So it doesn't matter that most people probably don't have a problem with physical discipline (even though this appears to be extreme). It's the same as the Redskins issue. A vast majority of this country just doesn't care about that issue but the media won't let it go. It's gonna be the same with this one. They are going to crucify him. I bet he NEVER plays again in the NFL.

That, and the fact that it was a 4 year old kid.

[oldbutnotdeadyet]

And he smacked the poor kid in the nuts....I mean, come on man...

[smuggler]

Counselling and community service should do it on the legal side of things, with the understanding that further such excessive discipline will meet with more intense consequences.

Of course, the worst of it will be from the public, which as we know is an unforgiving and bloodthirsty mob.

[pbmax]

Agree with all of these points, except that the world is going down the tubes cannot be just a function of too much news on the tube. If you don't believe me, check out a Harpers from 1860 and you'll see that the state of the world was no different then than it is now. Or Plato for that matter. It would seem that things have been getting worse and worse in the world ever since people started talking about it.

Fair point.

[Cheesehead Craig]

Nice response but you dodged my point about the poor kid in your avatar. Don't you feel bad for the lil guy? He didn't even do nada wrong.

Apologies, I got all wrapped up in my righteous anger yesterday. Shouldn't have said that this place was defending child abuse. Can we hug it out?

[VegasPackFan]

To clarify, my personal opinion is that this is egregious, abusive and totally wrong. I'm also pointing out that the press will go after AP with everything they have on this. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up uncovering other incidents with him with more of his children. Stay tuned. My other point is I think he is DONE for his career.

[Rastak]

To clarify, my personal opinion is that this is egregious, abusive and totally wrong. I'm also pointing out that the press will go after AP with everything they have on this. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up uncovering other incidents with him with more of his children. Stay tuned. My other point is I think he is DONE for his career.

I highly doubt that. Might be the end in Minnesota but not in the league.

[Patler]

Has the Ray Rice situation not taught us anything? We should realize that in the wisdom of the league, for star players the event is not very serious unless there is a video to show the brutality of it. I doubt the pictures will be enough.

AP will play again somewhere. I don't have any feel for how the MN ownership will handle it, so I will defer to Rastak's opinion on that.

[Guiness]

To clarify, my personal opinion is that this is egregious, abusive and totally wrong. I'm also pointing out that the press will go after AP with everything they have on this. I wouldn't be surprised if they end up uncovering other incidents with him with more of his children. Stay tuned. My other point is I think he is DONE for his career.

Judging by the text messages with the mother, I don't think there is any doubt there were other incidents, with this or other kids, that are going to come up. It was obvious that this sort of punishment is the norm for him. Did it go this far other times? Don't know yet, I'd bet we eventually will.

As to your other point, will he play again? Don't know. I'd be surprised if he did this season, but after that I'd say it's probable, there's a lot of precedent for players coming back after behavior that landed them in jail, like Vick, Jolly and Burress. He needs to change his attitude, and convince the public he did, but if he can do that he should have a job in the NFL.

[Cheesehead Craig]

From what I've heard here locally is that AP likely wont get jail time given what has happened in the past for charges similar to his. The NFL either goes way too light or overboard. Given they went too light with Rice to start with and got creamed, they likely will go big on the AP punishment. I really think that AP is Eventually going to be released by MN over this. Is he done? I dont think so, someone will pick him up next season.

[Harlan Huckleby]

He'll stay in Minnesota. But I can't see him playing this season.

People in Minnesota aren't going to be any more down on AP than people anywhere else. AP will go through redemption cycle, he needs a time out.