The two-year-old son of Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is in the hospital with critical injuries, US media reported Friday.
The boy was severely beaten and was “unresponsive,” Fox News reported.
Peterson is not considered a suspect in the abuse. Another man, Joseph Robert Patterson, 27, was arrested on two counts of aggravated domestic assault and aggravated battery of an infant, US newspapers said.
The child was at Patterson’s home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he had recently moved with his mother, when he was injured, USA Today said, adding police there said Patterson had initially called 911 to report a choking.
Doctors quickly determined the injuries were not accidental, the paper said.
Patterson has a history of domestic abuse against his own son and the boy’s mother, also from Sioux Falls, the paper said, citing court records.
Peterson is expected to make a statement to the media soon.