A new detail in the Adrian Peterson case adds a strange, uncomfortable wrinkle to the superstar running back's child abuse allegations. According to the Daily Mail, Booker Bowie—who coached Adrian Peterson at Palestine High School in Texas—revealed that he used to paddle Peterson and his teammates during team practices using an 18-inch wooden paddle. And, says Bowie, Peterson didn't hold a grudge against his coach for dishing out these punishments. Peterson thanked Bowie for the paddlings.
"It wasn't my intention to abuse the kids, the kids loved me for it," says Bowie. "I wanted them to do right. They said: "Coach, thank you".
"Adrian understands corporal punishment," he added. "It's not intended to hurt anybody, it's to get them going in the right direction. I have never had a problem with parents calling anyone complaining." Bowie also believes that the public criticism against Peterson needs to calm down.
"We all sometimes make mistakes, not intentionally. He just needs to move on from it. I think he's suffered enough. I think he's learned from this."
The report from the Daily Mail also revealed Peterson's intense experiences with parental discipline, referencing one particular beating his father dealt him while Adrian was in middle school. According to the Mail:
Peterson’s childhood friend David Cummings, 29, said that one afternoon [Peterson's father] beat his son with a belt in the car park in front of 20 students at Palestine Middle School because he had been disruptive in class.
Cummings told USA Today: 'We still talk about it to this day. My dad was tough, but his dad was real tough.'
Yikes. Given what has come to light in the wake of the allegations against Peterson, it will be interesting to watch and see what else is revealed throughout the course of the judicial process. It is clear that Peterson has been a part of long cycle of severe discipline. Whether he was able to break that cycle with his own children remains to be seen. However, if we're to believe the accusations weighed against him, then the answer to that question is, "No."
