Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson has been indicted on charges that he struck his own son with a tree branch, his lawyer confirmed in a statement. A warrant was issued after a grand jury summonsed Peterson on the felony charge of injury to a child on Friday.

"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," Peterson's lawyer Rustin Hardin said in his statement, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald. "Adrian has never hidden from what happened," he added.

Peterson is the star running back and a six-time Pro Bowler for the Vikings. He is alleged to have beaten his four-year-old son with a tree branch, which resulted in the child incurring numerous injuries. Peterson will not be playing in the Viking's game against New England Patriots.

Peterson was arrested on Saturday by the Montgomery Police and then released on a $15,000 bond later. It is reported that he told his wife that he has given their son a 'whooping'. The doctors saw some consistent marks of injuries, which fell under those punishable for child abuse. The object used for the punishment is suspected to be a thin branch of a tree or a switch. The object is not identified so far. The incident happened months before it came out in the media. The authorities have reportedly started their investigation in May.

The Vikings knew of the incident for several weeks and thought that Peterson would be cleared from the charges. "The Vikings are in the process of gathering information regarding the legal situation involving Adrian Peterson," the team said in a statement then proceeded to refer further questions to Adrian's lawyer. NFL authorities are under immense pressure and scrutiny with respect to the handling of this child abuse case as they have already been earlier criticised for the way they handled domestic violence cases.

Peterson's lawyer, however, emphasized that his client did not intend to beat his son severely. He claims that his client is a very loving father and only wanted to raise his son the same way he was raised at Minnesota.