Adrian Peterson Indicted On Child Negligence

[newtogolf]

I think what AP did was excessive.  Does he deserve to go to jail for it, I don't know, depends on how often he's done this level of damage to his son.  My dad didn't use a switch or a belt, he used his open hand.   He hit me less than 4 times in my life and I deserved it every time.  In today's PC world my dads method of discipline might have been deemed excessive or illegal.   What I took away from it was I didn't want to mess up bad enough to warrant him hitting me so I towed the line.

If AP has inflicted this level of damage in the past then he might have a problem, as I can't imagine what a 4 year old could do that warrants that level of punishment more than once in his 4 years of life.

I don't see how @Abu3baid is making any comparison to this and Ray Rice.  It's pretty clear to me AP thought he was disciplining his child in the manner he had been.  Rice has no business disciplining his fiancée, no less throwing a punch to her face with enough force to knock her off her feet and unconscious.

IMO, The NFL should stay out of it until AP has his day in court and the judge / jury decides if he broke the law or not.

[RJH999]

I think what AP did was excessive.  Does he deserve to go to jail for it, I don't know, depends on how often he's done this level of damage to his son.  My dad didn't use a switch or a belt, he used his open hand.   He hit me less than 4 times in my life and I deserved it every time.  In today's PC world my dads method of discipline might have been deemed excessive or illegal.   What I took away from it was I didn't want to mess up bad enough to warrant him hitting me so I towed the line.  If AP has inflicted this level of damage in the past then he might have a problem, as I can't imagine what a 4 year old could do that warrants that level of punishment more than once in his 4 years of life. I don't see how @Abu3baid is making any comparison to this and Ray Rice.  It's pretty clear to me AP thought he was disciplining his child in the manner he had been.  Rice has no business disciplining his fiancée, no less throwing a punch to her face with enough force to knock her off her feet and unconscious. IMO, The NFL should stay out of it until AP has his day in court and the judge / jury decides if he broke the law or not.

I don't disagree.

[MS256]

Just from what I've seen and read AP definitely went too far and seemed to take some pleasure in his disciplinary methods.

I got more whippings than I can remember, and most often with a switch, but my parents never went overboard enough to cause any cuts and they never acted like they took any pride in whipping me.

As parents we learn and evolve as we go along. I whipped my oldest kids a few times with a belt and never gave my youngest son any kind of corporal punishment. Somewhere along the line I figured out that there were better ways of discipline and also found out that if I did a better job as a parent my kid rarely got in trouble anyway.

I wouldn't say that AP needs to go to jail or anything but needs some required parenting classes.

[RJH999]

Just from what I've seen and read AP definitely went too far and seemed to take some pleasure in his disciplinary methods. I got more whippings than I can remember, and most often with a switch, but my parents never went overboard enough to cause any cuts and they never acted like they took any pride in whipping me. As parents we learn and evolve as we go along. I whipped my oldest kids a few times with a belt and never gave my youngest son any kind of corporal punishment. Somewhere along the line I figured out that there were better ways of discipline and also found out that if I did a better job as a parent my kid rarely got in trouble anyway. I wouldn't say that AP needs to go to jail or anything but needs some required parenting classes.

Yes. He needs some counseling and parenting classes. Probably a 4-6 game suspension as well.

[Moxie Dawn]

Lewis didn't kill anyone, he just obstructed justice. A negligible point, I know.

[RJH999]

Lewis didn't kill anyone,* he just obstructed justice. A negligible point, I know. *Allegedly

FIFY ;-)

[Abu3baid]

I don't see how @Abu3baid is making any comparison to this and Ray Rice.  It's pretty clear to me AP thought he was disciplining his child in the manner he had been.  Rice has no business disciplining his fiancée, no less throwing a punch to her face with enough force to knock her off her feet and unconscious.

IMO, The NFL should stay out of it until AP has his day in court and the judge / jury decides if he broke the law or not.

I wasn't planning on getting into the psychological state of mind AP was in when he "disciplined" his child, because I only care about the action and not his state of mind.. I'm not a criminal court, I'm just part of public opinion, and usually the public doesn't care about the circumstances and I don't when it comes to injuring a 4 year old the way this guy did! Although, you are free to do so if you wish!

If you aren't able to draw comparisons to Ray Rice that's fine.. What I'm saying is that child abuse as far as I'm concerned is a lot worst than spouse abuse, mainly because a spouse can defend her self, or run away, or call the cops or do several or none of these if she wanted.. While the kid can never protect himself from these type of beat downs and can rarely report what is happening to him if it is not done by some sane adult in their life..

Now, back to the NFL.. If Ray Rice can get indefinite suspension handed down to him then IMO an indefinite suspension should be awaiting this dirtbag.. I'm sorry, but what he did to this "4" year old is a lot worst than 1 punch knocking out the fiance with both of them being pretty high on the dirtbag/scumbag thermometer!

On just the picture I posted above I can count 9 distinctive hit marks.. AP is not mentally stable and I think we can all agree on that.  I also will never root for him, just like I don't for others who I consider dirtbags like Ray Rice, Tiger Woods, Dustin and a whole slew of others I don't care to mention.

Edit:  Just read this from charles .. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/charles-barkley-on-adrian-peterson---every-black-parent-in-the-south--whips-their-children-202259157.html

no comment

[Shorty]

What I'm saying is that child abuse as far as I'm concerned is a lot worst than spouse abuse, mainly because a spouse can defend her self, or run away, or call the cops or do several or none of these if she wanted..

no comment

You have demonstrated a complete and utter failure to understand the nature of spousal abuse.

[David in FL]

You have demonstrated a complete and utter failure to understand the nature of spousal abuse.

Sadly, too many don't understand this exact point.

[Slice of Life]

You have demonstrated a complete and utter failure to understand the nature of spousal abuse.

Very true. I do understand what he's trying to convey, but at the end of the day a man who beats his wife is a scumbag just like a man who beats his children.

[Moxie Dawn]

As much as I love Charles Barkley, and I do, I have to use his own words against him in regard to his AP comments. "Turrible. Crazy, knucklehead turrible." Charles is from Alabama, like me. He grew up not two hours from where I live, and I can assure him you don't have to be a black child in the south to get whipped with a switch or a belt or hair brush or a fly swatter or your mama's shoe or whatever else. And Charles is one of those people who seem to be saying that if it happened to them, then it's "normal." If he just got spankings, then sure. That's normal. If he got spankings that broke skin and drew blood, he was abused. And it's not normal and there is no reason to pretend it is. The powerful thing about Cris Carter's commentary is that he was brave enough to say his mother was wrong in how she raised him. That had to have been hard. But the truth is sometimes hard.

As for understanding spousal abuse, it's difficult. People always think it's easy to just leave. I was married for 20 years to a man who never hit me. I wish he had, because my daddy and brother-in-law would have never let it stand. He did other things, and over time you just get used to it and think to yourself that this his how life is. You get used to being miserable. And you're embarassed to tell anyone about it. By the time we got divorced I knew he'd been having multiple affairs and I was just glad he was leaving me alone sexually, because that's where all his torment of me was. But I happened to accidentally learn he was doing the same things to a young woman he was seeing, 18 years old, and that was it. It took me knowing he was doing the same things to someone else for me to say, "that's about enough of this shit." And I served him the next week and threw him out. Of course in retrospect you wonder why it took so long, but I was afraid. I was afraid the unknown was worse than the known. I had never lived alone a day in my life. I just felt like I was stuck. So the only thing I would tell anyone in a bad relationship that is abusive is that you're not stuck, you're just scared. And we can deal with that.

[Abu3baid]

You have demonstrated a complete and utter failure to understand the nature of spousal abuse.

Maybe that is true, it is my opinion however that child abusers are bigger scumbags than wife abusers..  I don't let my emotions get in the way of how I perceive things.. having said that, statistically if there is a 1% chance that a woman who is abused can leave a relationship, call the cops, defend her self or do any of the things I mentioned, it is still 1% more than what a child who is 4 years old or even 9 or 10 could do..  That much I do understand.. If you feel differently, then you are entitled to your opinion.. so is everyone else.. I'm not really breaking news here.. child beaters are bigger scumbags than wife beaters..

Back on topic:

The Vikings I last heard are still making up their mind on how to treat the AP case (I'm not sure they are willing to release him though), and Ray Rice is submitting his appeal to his indefinite suspension.  How the NFL treats both of these cases will have some major implications on how some of these NFL players might start behaving.. Greg Hardy is another idiot who was deactivated this Sunday, and he might find himself in the same boat as RR as well!

@Moxie Dawn , thanks for sharing your story and I am happy that you were able to find peace and leave that relationship on your own terms!  Good for you!

[MS256]

I don't think you would get much argument anywhere that child beaters are scumbags. Where multiple interpretations come in is deciding what constitutes a child beater. We all (or at least those of us with parents that cared) got whippings around here when I was a kid and I certainly wouldn't describe most of the parents (including my own) as scumbags.

[Abu3baid]

I don't think you would get much argument anywhere that child beaters are scumbags.

Where multiple inerpretations come in is deciding what constitutes a child beater.

We all (or at least those of us with parents that cared) got whippings around here when I was a kid and I certainly wouldn't describe most of the parents (including my own) as scumbags.

Well, somethings are hard to define and I understand that.. where does the line of discipline stop and the line of abuse start.. I know that I was beaten with belts, so was that abuse?  I don't know, I would favor no because I was probably only hit 2 or 3 times at the most (in any one setting), and I was probably like 8 or 9 or even older.. now, if I was held down and beaten with the belt 20-30 times and my skin started cracking I would probably have a different opinion.

I think for most of us we are all able to see the pictures of the 4 year old and automatically determine that this is abuse - (unless you are Charles B. and think that this is normal)... The most this sort of beating will result in is physically marks and psychological scars!

[RJH999]

Maybe that is true, it is my opinion however that child abusers are bigger scumbags than wife abusers..  I don't let my emotions get in the way of how I perceive things.. having said that, statistically if there is a 1% chance that a woman who is abused can leave a relationship, call the cops, defend her self or do any of the things I mentioned, it is still 1% more than what a child who is 4 years old or even 9 or 10 could do..  That much I do understand.. If you feel differently, then you are entitled to your opinion.. so is everyone else.. I'm not really breaking news here.. child beaters are bigger scumbags than wife beaters.. Back on topic: The Vikings I last heard are still making up their mind on how to treat the AP case (I'm not sure they are willing to release him though), and Ray Rice is submitting his appeal to his indefinite suspension.  How the NFL treats both of these cases will have some major implications on how some of these NFL players might start behaving.. Greg Hardy is another idiot who was deactivated this Sunday and he might find himself in the same boat as RR as well! @Moxie Dawn , thanks for sharing your story and I am happy that you were able to find peace and leave that relationship on your own terms!  Good for you!

I don't really agree with any of this, but I like this part.

[newtogolf]

If you aren't able to draw comparisons to Ray Rice that's fine.. What I'm saying is that child abuse as far as I'm concerned is a lot worst than spouse abuse, mainly because a spouse can defend her self, or run away, or call the cops or do several or none of these if she wanted.. While the kid can never protect himself from these type of beat downs and can rarely report what is happening to him if it is not done by some sane adult in their life..

You're missing the entire issue of spousal abuse, it's not just physical beat downs, it's the mental part that's as bad if not worse.  Add to that the verbal abuse, loss of self worth / esteem  and in some cases the women start to believe they actually deserve to be beat and defend the person that beats them.

I agree that children are helpless and even less capable of speaking out for themselves so they need to be protected but the difference is that in most societies there is a some tolerance for spanking, smacking and other forms of discipline of a child, excluding the use of excessive force.  There is and should be zero tolerance of the use of any physical discipline towards a spouse.

I hope that makes it easier for you to understand.

[Abu3baid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by newtogolf

You're missing the entire issue of spousal abuse, it's not just physical beat downs, it's the mental part that's as bad if not worse.  Add to that the verbal abuse, loss of self worth / esteem  and in some cases the women start to believe they actually deserve to be beat and defend the person that beats them.

I agree that children are helpless and even less capable of speaking out for themselves so they need to be protected but the difference is that in most societies there is a some tolerance for spanking, smacking and other forms of discipline of a child, excluding the use of excessive force.  There is and should be zero tolerance of the use of any physical discipline towards a spouse.

I hope that makes it easier for you to understand.

Thank you for the explanation.  I understand all that, and I add that there should be "zero tolerance" of abusing children as well..

I think in all of this discussion the main point I am trying to make has been lost in trying to make "me" truly understand "spouse abuse".. I get it guys, it is emotional and not just physical and all that..  No one is really commenting on my point though, which is after seeing the actions of AP and the results on the body of a 4 year old he deserves just as much a punishment as RR for "punching" his fiance if not more!

Also, I am not breaking news here with my opinion.. in fact take a look at this article in Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/sites/prishe/2014/09/12/adrian-petersons-child-abuse-further-damages-nfls-image-creates-opportunity-for-goodell/

Quote:

Physical abuse of women or children is completely unacceptable.

But something about Thursday’s indictment of Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson in Montgomery County (Texas) for reckless/negligent injury to his 4-year old child is absolutely sickening, reprehensible, and unforgivable.

And in my mind, far worse for the NFL’s beleaguered public image than the recent Ray Rice scandal on several levels.

First and foremost, a professional football player struck a defenseless 4-year old child.  4-years old!  Seriously?  Are you kidding me?  What the hell?

Apart from these pictures which verify the brutality and thoughtlessness of the assault, it has been reported that doctors told investigators that the boy had a number of lacerations on his thighs, along with bruise-like marks on his lower back and buttocks, as well as cuts on his hand.  Furthermore, it was reported that the police report says the doctor described some of the marks as open wounds and termed it “ child abuse”… while another examiner called the cuts “extensive” .

Then he continues with

Quote:

Though I believe in second chances, the NFL must sit Mr. Peterson for the remainder of the 2014-15 season.

And if I’m Roger Goodell, I enforce this punishment within the next 48 hours.

Otherwise, Goodell and his league lose further credibility with the public for their inability to control their own.

And in this case, make an example of a reported child abuser.

[RonTheSavage]

I like what Chris Carter said that he loves his mom, she tried her best, but there are some things that she did wrong. Im not trying to go :offtopic: here and I tend to always go racial but hear me out. In the African American community most men are raised by their mothers. (I bring up race beacuse AP is black, Im black, and so is most of the NFL) We are told early and often "what momma says goes" or "Im the mother you're the child." As long as I can remember it was drilled into me do not question my mother. If you're bought up getting spankings or whoopins you think it's normal. As weird as it may sound my mom would whoop me with a switch and 2 mins later clean me up and tell me she was only doing it out of love. Or my favorite one was "Im whooping you now so the police wont have the chance to do so later." I dont know AP but Im 98% sure he thinks he's doing his duties as a dad by disciplining, but he went too damn far. Sorry for rambling but Im gald CC said what he did, moms are wrong sometimes. Maybe this will start a much needed conversation about the subject not just in the black community but everywhere.