A 2-year-old son of Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson died on Friday in a Sioux Falls, S.D., hospital, the victim of alleged abuse by a man who was dating the boy's mother, police confirmed.
Peterson's father, Nelson Peterson, confirmed Friday afternoon that the child is Adrian Peterson's. Peterson met with the media Friday, hours before the boy passed away, and said at the time he still planned to play in Sunday's game against Carolina, but declined to get into details about the case.
Peterson posted a statement on his Twitter account after news of the child's death.
"Thank you to my family, my fans and fans of other teams for their support. The NFL is a fraternity of brothers and I am thankful for the tweets, phone calls and text messages from my fellow players. God Bless everyone and thank u so much," Peterson wrote in three tweets.
Police arrested Joseph Robert Patterson, 27, who was initially charged with aggravated assault and aggravated assault on an infant. Sioux Falls police said additional charges are being considered.
