Oklahoma Sooners Blog

A woman in Sioux Falls who is close to the mother involved in the tragic story about Adrian Peterson's two-year-old son says the fact AP had a child living in Sioux Falls was "a secret."

She said the mother of the child had a casual relationship with AP when she lived in the Twin Cities (she's since moved to South Dakota). She became pregnant, but wasn't sure about the identify of the father "until just recently." A paternity test revealed that the dad was indeed Adrian Peterson. Our source says Peterson isn't identified as the father on the birth certificate of the child, who goes by his mother's last name.

Our source says Adrian was aware he was the father of the child before this week's tragic incident. Previous reports have indicated Adrian only has two children, Adrian Jr. and a daughter named Adeja.

"Why would he be in Sioux Falls, missing practice, if it wasn't his kid?" she said.

Tragically, our source says Adrian's son is not expected to survive his injuries. The plan is to take him off a ventilator this evening and donate his organs.

"Unless God provides some sort of miracle, he's gone," she said.

The child was rushed to the hospital Wednesday evening. Our source says people close to the mother were initially told the child had choked on candy. Only later did it emerge his brain injuries were the result of being violently shaken.

A man the mother had recently started dating, 27-year-old Joseph Patterson, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and aggravated battery of an infant in connection with the incident. (More at CityPages)

UPDATE: Adrian Peterson met with reporters Friday afternoon, he asked everyone to respect his privacy and he will play on Sunday.

UPDATE:  Adrian Peterson's father Nelson confirmed Friday afternoon that the child is Adrian Peterson's. Peterson met with the media Friday and said he still planned to play in Sunday's game against Carolina, but declined to get into details about the case.

"I really appreciate all the support that I've been receiving from fans, the Vikings organization," said Peterson, who was excused to miss Thursday's Vikings practice before returning Friday. "This is a private matter and I would ask you all to please just respect my privacy and not ask at all about the situation at hand."

Sioux Falls police spokesman Sam Clemens told USA TODAY Sports on Friday that the child remains hospitalized in critical condition. Tom Wollman, the prosecutor in Lincoln County, S.D., said the child remains "unresponsive." (USA Today)

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