Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesAdrian Peterson arrived in a Houston court this morning with his wife, Ashley Brown, by his side. While he did not enter a plea today, his first trial date was tentatively set for Dec. 1.
Late last night, the athlete took to Twitter to defend himself, saying, "It's SAD how people these days will believe anything reported by media sources that don't take the time to be GREAT!!!
The Minnesota Vikings' star running back was originally charged with reckless or negligent injury to a child early last month.
At the time, Peterson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, released the following statement to E! News:
"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."
The statement continued, "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 29-year-old former NFL Most Valuable Player turned himself in at the Montgomery Sheriff's Office just days later—arriving at 1:06 a.m. on a $15,000 bond and released within 29 minutes, jail records show.
The judge in today's hearing explained that there's a possibility that Peterson's trial could be moved up to November, after his attorney's requested a rush be put on the court case. Peterson is unable to play until his legal situation has been resolved.
According to Sports Illustrated, if he is convicted of reckless injury to a child, he could be sentenced to prison for two to 10 years.
If Peterson is convicted of negligent injury to a child, his potential sentence would be 180 days to two years.