The news has been buzzing over the last
few days about Minnesota Viking's star Adrian Peterson's 2-year-old son's
death. The boy passed on Friday after his mother's boyfriend reportedly
assaulted him. Originally reported as a medical emergency, the Sioux Falls
Police Department quickly determined that the boy's injuries were not
accidental.
Police arrested Joseph Robert Patterson, 27, who was initially charged with aggravated assault and aggravated assault on an infant. His bond was set at $750,000 in cash before the boy's death.
According to several sources, including USA Today Sports, Patterson has a prior domestic abuse record with a different woman and child.
AP made statements Friday that the boy was his son, but not Adrian Peterson Jr., a rumor that began circulating. AP told the press he would play in Sunday's game against the Panthers. According to CNN, he also adamantly requested that his privacy be respected.
The child victim, originally thought to be AP Jr., has been identified as the "fruit of a casual relationship" previously unknown to the press. However, "memorial" photos of AP Jr. quickly spread over social media. According to several sources and news blogs, the child's existence was only recently brought to AP's attention. TMZ reported that AP met the child for the first time while the boy was on life support.
Black Sports Online, among many other news sites attempted to clear up the confusion, as well as AP himself via his social media accounts.
Police arrested Joseph Robert Patterson, 27, who was initially charged with aggravated assault and aggravated assault on an infant. His bond was set at $750,000 in cash before the boy's death.
According to several sources, including USA Today Sports, Patterson has a prior domestic abuse record with a different woman and child.
AP made statements Friday that the boy was his son, but not Adrian Peterson Jr., a rumor that began circulating. AP told the press he would play in Sunday's game against the Panthers. According to CNN, he also adamantly requested that his privacy be respected.
The child victim, originally thought to be AP Jr., has been identified as the "fruit of a casual relationship" previously unknown to the press. However, "memorial" photos of AP Jr. quickly spread over social media. According to several sources and news blogs, the child's existence was only recently brought to AP's attention. TMZ reported that AP met the child for the first time while the boy was on life support.
Black Sports Online, among many other news sites attempted to clear up the confusion, as well as AP himself via his social media accounts.
Aside from the fact that a child was
killed in this event, which is incredibly tragic, I feel that one of the most unfortunate aspects is the
complete invasion of privacy from the public via their social media. People
mindlessly tweeted photos of AP Jr., a child that is alive and well. Several
photos of him and his football star father were tweeted and posted, featuring
the child with angel wings and “RIP” messages. Users did not take into
consideration the facts of this story—did not even bother to fact-check at all,
and as a result, falsely posted information about this little boy.
It just goes to show that people should
CHECK THEIR SOURCES. While the confusion between the boys is understandable as
they are very close in age, several news sites had already reported very
quickly on Friday that AP Jr. was not the victim of Patterson’s abuse.
