NFL player Adrian Peterson sparks debate after admitting he still beats his son with a ‘switch’

Four years after being charged with child abuse Adrian Peterson has admitted to still beating his son as a form of discipline.

According to the Bleacher Report, in 2014 the NFL player was reported to authorities after he used a thin tree branch – often referred to in Southern circles as a “switch” – on his child, which left marks that were later discovered by a doctor.

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As a result of the physician’s allegations, Peterson was suspended from playing for the Minnesota Vikings during the investigation. Even after accepting a plea deal, Peterson didn’t return to the team, but said he felt remorseful for leaving marks on son, and vowed to never use corporal punishment as a parenting technique ever again.

Except, now that he’s been picked up by the Washington Redskins, and no longer facing public scrutiny, it appears the star running back has regressed to his own ways.

In the interview with the Bleacher Report, the Redskins runningback  confesses he still occasionally reaches for a switch in his household.

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“Nine times out of 10, [I don’t use a switch],” he clarifies. “That’s not the case.”

But then he goes on to defend why it is sometimes a necessary and valid option.

“My kids are different,” Peterson explained. “They have my blood in them. They have my genes in them. It’s crazy when you think about it. But for me it’s not. I know my kids. I know what they’re capable of, and I know the types of things they do.”

“I had to discipline my son and spank him the other day with a belt,” he continued. “There’s different ways I discipline my kids. I didn’t let that change me.”

After the interview surfaced on the internet it immediately sparked debate with some lashing out at him with statements like, “Maybe you should stop hitting your children you pathetic piece of s**t.”

While others pointed out that this may just be a cultural misunderstanding and that switches are often used without adverse effects.

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“My dad spanked me with a belt. I love him more than anything,” one follower commented. “All you f—— dumb f—s telling someone how to raise their own kid.”