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Report: Adrian Peterson's son dies after being beaten by mother's boyfriend

Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson left the team on Thursday to deal with a "tragic" family circumstance in South Dakota.

    by Justin Klugh, Philly.com
    Published 

[UPDATE, 5:19 p.m.]: According to police, Adrian Peterson's son has passed away.

Peterson took to Twitter to thank many for the outpouring of support over this tragedy:

Thank you to my family, my fans and fans of other teams for their support.
The NFL is a fraternity of brothers and I am thankful for the tweets, phone calls and text messages from my fellow players.
God Bless everyone and thank u so much.

[UPDATE, 2:06 p.m.]: Adrian Peterson addressed the media, saying that this was "a private matter" and to "please respect my privacy." Peterson also said he will be ready to play Sunday.

"I appreciate the support that I've received from all the fans and the Vikings organization. You know, this is a private matter and I ask that y'all please respect my privacy and not ask at all about the situation at hand.

"I will be playing Sunday."

[UPDATE, 1:18 p.m.]: The child, which City Pages is calling a formerly "secret" child of Peterson's, is "not expected to survive."

[UPDATE, 12:06 p.m.]: Peterson's father, Nelson Peterson, is now saying the child in critical condition is the son of Adrian Peterson, while asking for "prayers and for respect."

From earlier:

 Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson left the team on Thursday to deal with a "tragic" family circumstance in South Dakota.

It was first reported by TMZ that it was Peterson's two-year-old son who was unresponsive after receiving severe blows to the head from his mother's boyfriend, 27-year-old Joseph Patterson, on October 9.

However, susbequent reports indicated that Peterson was not actually the child's father. The child was in critical condition in Sioux Falls, SD when Peterson arrived.

Peterson is reportedly back in Minnesota and will return to Vikings practice today, according to ESPN's Ben Goessling. Though police are launching an investigation, they are hesitant to confirm who the victim's father is - though it is not Patterson.