A damning report by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson links the embattled running back to a scandal regarding his charity, All Day Foundation.
According to the Star-Tribune report, the NFL star, who is currently unable to play as he battles allegations of child abuse, used a credit card connected to his charitable foundation on a wild night of sexual debauchery, that included his younger brother and four women at an Eden Prairie, Minn., hotel in 2011.
One of those present, Chris Brown, a Peterson relative who lives with him in Eden Prairie, told police that he paid for the room using a company credit card for Peterson's All Day, Inc.
As the night wore on, the report says, one woman who said she knew Peterson previously became upset when she saw him having sex with another woman. She started an argument that lasted at least an hour. According to the report, when she told him that she was "emotionally attached to him," Peterson reminded her that he was engaged to another woman and had a baby.
The next day one of the women filed a police complaint that was investigated for months. Peterson insisted on his innocence and, at one point, arrived to provide evidence at police headquarters through a back door, his face shrouded by the hood of his sweatshirt.
Peterson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, has disputed the report. "Adrian did not have a foundation credit card and did not use the foundation's funds for personal expenses," Hardin said in a statement. "There is no question that prior to 2011, issues existed with the administration of Adrian's foundation. When this was brought to his attention, Adrian made changes to the organization and brought in new leadership. Since that time, Adrian and his foundation have given more than $1.4 million to many worthy causes, including many to organizations that benefit children. Importantly, Adrian has seen fit to contribute over $1 million of his own funds to this charitable work. Adrian and his family are understandably proud of the foundation and the good work that it has done and continues to do.
"We are in the unfortunate position that today, like so many other days, there are more stories about Adrian, fueled by nothing more than his fame," Hardin continued. "Given the multitude of allegations that inevitably flow against a public figure, we will no longer try to respond to each and every new unfounded charge. We will simply hold our comments for the trial that Adrian is entitled to in a forum that has rules and requirements of proof."
The lengthy Star-Tribune article outlines a number of details within Peterson's personal life. Read the Minneapolis Star-Tribune story here.
