Despite child abuse suspension, Adrian Peterson uses belt on son

DALLAS -- Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson, who served a one-year suspension in the NFL after he was charged with child abuse, admitted he still sometimes uses a belt to hit his son.

In a story on Bleacher Report, Peterson said, "I had to discipline my son and spank him the other day with a belt."

He also said he disciplines his kids in various other ways, including having them do wall squats or sitting in timeout or taking away their electronics.

"There's different ways I discipline my kids. I didn't let that change me," Peterson said in the article.

Peterson was suspended in 2014 after being charged with felony child abuse for using a switch to spank his then-4-year-old son. It resulted in cuts and bruises all over the boy's body, including his buttocks and scrotum.

Peterson eventually pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of misdemeanor reckless assault. In addition to a two-year probation period, he was fined $4,000 and performed 80 hours of community service. The NFL suspended him for one year. It's uncertain if the NFL will discipline Peterson once again after his latest admission, but the league was stern with what it expected from him.

In 2014, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell scolded Peterson in a letter for not showing proper remorse for his conduct. In another letter, the league told Peterson that his reinstatement was "based on the results of the counseling and treatment program set forth in this decision. Under this two-step approach, the precise length of the suspension will depend on your actions. We are prepared to put in place a program that can help you to succeed, but no program can succeed without your genuine and continuing engagement. You must commit yourself to your counseling and rehabilitative effort, properly care for your children, and have no further violations of law or league policy."

Peterson's agent, Ron Slavin, said in a statement on Wednesday that "there is nothing more important to Adrian Peterson than being a good father to his children" and that Peterson "learned several valuable lessons" in 2014 because of the suspension and counseling.

"Since signing with the Redskins he has been an outstanding teammate and leader both on and off the field," Slavin said in the statement.

There has been no comment yet from the team or the NFL on this matter.

Peterson is in Dallas preparing to face the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. Having signed with the team in August, he leads the Redskins with 723 rushing yards.