Adrian Peterson could be headed to jail after admitting that he smoked pot before taking a drug test on Wednesday, violating the terms of his release on bond.
Peterson stands accused of child abuse in Texas and was free on $15,000 bond. But now prosecutors in Montgomery County, Texas, have filed paperwork to have his bail revoked after Peterson reportedly told a drug tester that he had “smoked weed.”
“In light of this statement, and the fact that it was made during the urinalysis testing process, and the term ‘weed’ is a common slang term for marijuana, the state argues that the defendant has smoked marijuana while on bond,” the district attorney’s office wrote.
Adrian Peterson faces up to six months to two years in state prison if convicted of child abuse.
New allegations surfaced this week that Peterson may have used a credit card listed to his charity organization to fund a sex party attended by an underage relative. The Star Tribune published portions of a 38-page police report on the incident which includes a rape allegation, but never resulted in criminal charges.
“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,” the newspaper reports. “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 child abuse arrest and pending trial has also put Peterson’s future with the Minnesota Vikings in jeopardy. The Pro Bowl running back is due to make $12.75 million next year and is turning 30, which is largely considered over the hill for running backs. If the Vikings were to release Peterson it would count just $2.4 million against the salary cap.
As ESPN noted, the Viking have some options in what to do with Peterson:
There’s plenty of rumbling in league circles that if the Vikings did part with Peterson, it would be through a trade rather than a release. While another team would have trouble absorbing Peterson’s contract, that problem could be solved easily enough with an extension that cuts Peterson’s overall salary, provides him some guaranteed money and spreads the cap hit out over several seasons that Peterson might never play.
The Vikings could use a similar approach to manage Peterson’s crushing cap hit — $15.4 million in 2015 — and keep him on their roster. The question is, will they want to?
A lawyer for Adrian Peterson has asked that people don’t rush to judgment based on the allegations against the running back.
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