Pix of the injuries didn't come through on here but they are pretty bad!

<img src='http://a2.fssta.com/content/dam/fsdigital/fscom/nfl/images/2014/09/12/091214-NFL-INDICTED-J2-PI.vadapt.320.medium.0.jpg' alt=''> e
Tom Dahlin/Getty Images / Getty Images North America
Adrian Peterson has been indicted on charges stemming from a May incident at his home in the Houston area.







FOX Sports
Share This Story







Updated SEP 12, 2014 6:50p ET






Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson will be indicted in Texas on charges of injury to a child, reportedly his four-year-old son.
Rusty Hardin, an attorney representing Peterson, confirmed the indictment via a statement, per multiple media reports:
"Adrian Peterson has been informed that he was indicted by a grand jury in Montgomery County, Texas for Injury to a Child. The charged conduct involves using a switch to spank his son. This indictment follows Adrian's full cooperation with authorities who have been looking into this matter.
"Adrian is a loving father who used his judgment as a parent to discipline his son. He used the same kind of discipline with his child that he experienced as a child growing up in east Texas. Adrian has never hidden from what happened. He has cooperated fully with authorities and voluntarily testified before the grand jury for several hours. Adrian will address the charges with the same respect and responsiveness he has brought to this inquiry from its beginning. It is important to remember that Adrian never intended to harm his son and deeply regrets the unintentional injury."
The Vikings released a statement Friday, saying they had deactivated Peterson for Sunday's game against the Patriots.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the investigation has been going on for some time, with Peterson testifying weeks ago. FOX Sports NFL Insider Jay Glazer reported that Peterson has been cooperating with law enforcement.
WCCO, Minnesota's CBS affiliate, has some of the unsettling details. Peterson apparently admitted he did "whoop" the boy with a switch -- a small branch.
The WCCO report also described the boy's injuries:
The doctor told investigators that the boy had a number of lacerations on his thighs, along with bruise-like marks on his lower back and buttocks and cuts on his hand.
The police report says the doctor described some of the marks as open wounds and termed it "child abuse." Another examiner agreed, calling the cuts "extensive."
WCCO also obtained photos of the apparent injuries:



The incident apparently happened in May, when the boy was visiting Peterson at his home in The Woodlands, a Houston suburb.
FOX 26 in Houston, which originally reported the incident, said the charge was for "reckless and negligent" injury to a child.
Peterson was not at Vikings practice Thursday. The team described it as a "veteran day." He was back at the Vikings facility Friday and practiced. He also missed practice Aug. 20-21 for "personal reasons."
Peterson sent out this tweet earlier Friday, though it's unclear if the message has anything to do with his current situation:



In October 2013, a two-year-old son of Peterson's was killed in an apparent abuse case in South Dakota.
Peterson, now in his eighth season, has spent his entire career with the Vikings, amassing 10,190 rushing yards and 86 touchdowns. He is a six-time Pro Bowler and was the NFL MVP in 2008.
He is originally from Palestine, Texas, a town roughly halfway between Dallas and Houston.
The news is another stain on the NFL in week of negative headlines surrounding the Ray Rice scandal and the league's handling of it.