--- description: Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings running back suspended over child abuse charges, apologized for using a switch to discipline his son title: Adrian Peterson Child Abuse: Player Apologizes Following Suspension image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt009f3138b76fe4dc/69876a3a524fc0e2f7deae4b/adrian-peterson-trial-02.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Sports](/section/sports/) ## Sports Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [NFL](/tag/nfl/) ## NFL Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Adrian Peterson Promises Never to Beat His Kid With a Tree Branch Again  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Nov 21, 2014 4:04 PM CUT  From right: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and his attorney Rusty Hardin speak to the media after pleading no contest to an assault charge on Nov. 4, 2014, in Conroe, Tx. From right: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and his attorney Rusty Hardin speak to the media after pleading no contest to an assault charge on Nov. 4, 2014, in Conroe, Tx.Pat Sullivan—AP  by [Justin Worland](/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Senior Correspondent Nov 21, 2014 4:04 PM CUT Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings running back suspended over child abuse charges, has apologized for using a switch to discipline his son, and promised never to do it again. “I won’t ever use a switch again,” the player said in a _USA Today_ [interview](http://www.usatoday.com/longform/sports/nfl/vikings/2014/11/20/adrian-peterson-roger-goodell-child-abuse-switch-minnesota-vikings/70025476/?AID=10709313&PID=6151029&SID=kdk6my0uges9 "undefined") published Thursday. “There’s different situations where a child needs to be disciplined as far as timeout, taking their toys away, making them take a nap. There’s so many different ways to discipline your kids.” Peterson pled [no contest](http://time.com/3557047/vikings-adrian-peterson-misdemeanor/ "undefined") to misdemeanor reckless assault earlier this month, and was subsequently suspended from the NFL for the remainder of the season. In the interview, Peterson said he planned to speak with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discuss his suspension. The league said that Peterson would have to undergo rehabilitation and counseling before he can return to the league. “Ultimately, I know I’ll have my opportunity to sit down with Roger face to face, and I’ll be able to say a lot of the same things that I’ve said to you,” Peterson said. “I regretted everything that took place. I love my child, more than anyone could ever imagine.” \[[_USA Today_](http://www.usatoday.com/longform/sports/nfl/vikings/2014/11/20/adrian-peterson-roger-goodell-child-abuse-switch-minnesota-vikings/70025476/?AID=10709313&PID=6151029&SID=kdk6my0uges9 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3599554/adrian-peterson-apologizes/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3599554/adrian-peterson-apologizes/"},"headline":"Adrian Peterson Promises Never to Beat His Kid With a Tree Branch Again","datePublished":"2014-11-21T16:04:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:16:51.954Z","description":"'I won't ever use a switch again'","url":"https://time.com/3599554/adrian-peterson-apologizes/","keywords":["NFL","Roger Goodell","Child abuse","Suspension","Adrian Peterson"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt009f3138b76fe4dc/69876a3a524fc0e2f7deae4b/adrian-peterson-trial-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Worland","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/justin-worland/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt009f3138b76fe4dc/69876a3a524fc0e2f7deae4b/adrian-peterson-trial-02.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"From right: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and his attorney Rusty Hardin speak to the media after pleading no contest to an assault charge on Nov. 4, 2014, in Conroe, Tx.","caption":"From right: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and his attorney Rusty Hardin speak to the media after pleading no contest to an assault charge on Nov. 4, 2014, in Conroe, Tx.","creditText":"Pat Sullivan—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/nfl/","name":"NFL"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3599554/adrian-peterson-apologizes/","name":"Adrian Peterson Promises Never to Beat His Kid With a Tree Branch Again"}}]}] ```