Montgomery County, Texas: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has still not entered a plea in response to charges of felony injury to a child.
The prosecution will be filing an official written motion for the Judge Kelly Case to recuse himself due to referring to the lawyers involved as “media whores.” Pending the outcome of that motion, no plea was entered.
Defense attorney Rusty Hardin asked for a tentative opinion from the judge on a trial date, specifically asking for the week of November 18. He stated that Adrian Peterson is facing harsh criticism and accusations in the media and cannot defend himself. The judge gave a non-binding trial date of December 1, which could change if he is replaced as a result of the motion for recusal.
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has still not entered a plea in response to charges of felony injury to a child.
The child abuse charges are a result of Adrian Peterson disciplining his four-year-old son with a small tree branch. The incident caused an enormous surge of public opinion regarding what level of force is acceptable for corporal punishment. Many people claimed that what Adrian Peterson did was no worse than what they themselves had experienced as a child; the dissenting opinion that the severity of the beating crossed the line between legal discipline and child abuse was equally as strong.
The big question hovering in the air is whether or not Adrian Peterson is likely to play football again, either this season or in the future.
“I don’t know that that’s not going to happen in 2014. Honestly, I want the best for Adrian … If things get resolved and it’s a good thing, then the more power to him. We will worry about that when the time comes.” – Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, on the possibility of Adrian Peterson returning to the team this season.
Adrian Peterson’s future in the NFL will hinge on whether or not a jury decides that his actions did not violate the corporal punishment laws in the state of Texas, if a plea bargain agreement is not reached before trial. He has agreed to have no contact with his son until this matter is settled.