Reggie Bush Says He Might Discipline Daughter "Harshly," "Will Obviously Not Leave Bruises"

The Detroit Lions running back, whose child is currently 1 years old, made his comments on a radio show while discussing fellow NFL pro Adrian Peterson's indictment over injuring his son

Reggie Bush says he "definitely would discipline" his daughter "harshly" for bad behavior and "would possibly consider" one day using a switch, the method fellow NFL pro Adrian Peterson is accused of using on his son, which spurred an indictment for injuring a child and the Minnesota Vikings to suspend him from the team.

Bush, a running back for the Detroit Lions, and wife Lilit Avagyan are parents of a 16-month girl, Briseis. He talked about his child discipline methods, present and future, and defended Peterson amid his domestic violence scandal, in an interview on the New York-based WFAN-FM Boomer & Carton radio show on Tuesday.

"I most definitely discipline my daughter," Bush said. "I have a 1-year-old daughter. I discipline her and I'd say every person is different, you know, and I definitely will use my best judgment to discipline her, depending on the situation, on what happened, and also, I definitely will try to, um, will obviously not leave bruises or anything like that on her, but I definitely would discipline her harshly, depending on what, again, what the situation is."

Peterson, he said, was a "good guy" and should be allowed to play pro football. The Minnesota Vikings running back, whose son is 4, was last week indicted by a Texas grand jury and charged with negligent or reckless injury to a child. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted of the harsher latter charge. On Wednesday, Peterson was placed on the NFL exempt list and is barred from playing until his case is resolved.

"I am not a perfect son. I am not a perfect husband. I am not a perfect parent, but I am, without a doubt, not a child abuser," Peterson had said in a statement on Monday, as reported by NBC Sports. "I am someone that disciplined his child and did not intend to cause him any injury. No one can understand the hurt that I feel for my son and for the harm I caused him. My goal is always to teach my son right from wrong and that's what I tried to do that day."

"The charged conduct involves using a switch to spank his son," his lawyer had said last week, adding that the football star had "used the same kind of discipline with his child that he experienced as a child growing up in east Texas."

Bush said he was also disciplined physically when he was a kid.

"I know me and a lot of other guys born in the '80s and even before then were raised differently and disciplined differently and I was one of those kids, I got what we call whoopings and you know, whooped with belts and stuff like that," Bush said on Boomer & Carlton. "So, you know, for me, growing up, it was normal."

When asked, "Would you consider using a switch if your child was 'misbehaving,' as a method of discipline in your house?," Bush replied, "I would possibly consider it, depending on what she did."

"You know, like I said, I have a 1-year-old and they're gonna get in trouble, they're gonna do things and all you can do is use your best judgment, you know, and that's what I'm gonna do," he said. "I'm gonna use my best judgment. I'm not gonna say I'm not gonna, you know, spank her, but because, hopefully, she won't do anything bad enough ... but also, at the same time, kids are gonna be kids and whatever I do and whatever discipline I give her, it's always out of love and it's always because I want the best for her, for my daughter, for my kids."

"I didn't say a branch or a stick," he later added, referring to the use of a switch. "I said spanking. "Spanking is different than a branch or a stick."

Following criticism online, Bush took to Twitter to clarify his remarks further and retweeted a user who said, "@ReggieBush I can't believe people actually think your were talking about disciplining your child that prolly can't walk or talk yet." He also stated that despite receiving "whoopings" as a child, he and his parents currently have a "great relationship."

Let's get one thing straight people, I believe in disciplining a child period! I believe in spanking a child (IF NEEDED) NOT beating them!

? Reggie Bush (@ReggieBush) September 16, 2014

My parents didn't call it Spankings though they called it Whoopins!

? Reggie Bush (@ReggieBush) September 16, 2014

?@Summrluver: @ReggieBush and what kind if relationship do u have w/ur parents today? ? A GREAT RELATIONSHIP! I speak to them everyday

? Reggie Bush (@ReggieBush) September 16, 2014