National Football League

Prosecutor: Grand jury thought Peterson's discipline went too far

Published Sep. 13, 2014 5:06 p.m. ET

foxsports

A Texas prosecutor says a grand jury backed a child abuse charge against Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson after it spent several weeks reviewing "lots of evidence."

Montgomery County prosecutor Phil Grant said Saturday that parents are entitled to discipline their children, but that grand jury members felt Peterson went too far after they looked at the child's injuries.

Peterson is charged with causing injury to a child for allegedly spanking one of his sons with a wooden switch on or around May 18. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to two years in prison and fined up to $10,000.

Peterson was booked and released from a Houston-area jail earlier Saturday. The Vikings benched him for this weekend's home opener against the New England Patriots.