Adrian Peterson Gives 90-Minute Interview, Doesn't Say Much

Adrian Peterson has finally broken a two month silence. After he was placed on the exempt/commissioner's permission list on September 17th, he's basically only communicated through bizzaro twitter postings and closed-door hearings. Tonight he spoke with USA Today's Pelissero tonight for a "more than 90-minute" interview.

While Peterson said a lot, not much of it was anything other than what you expect from somebody trying to repair a very tarnished public image. He is remorseful. He didn't mean to hurt his son. He wants to be in his children's lives. He won't hit any of his kids again. He is getting help. He wants to play football.

Below are some of Peterson's more notable statements.

On calling his 4-year old son (the one he hit with a switch) last week for the first time in five months:

"When he got on the phone, he said, 'Hey Dad,'" Peterson said in an interview with USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. "I was like, 'Hey buddy, how you doing?' 'I'm doing OK.' I was like, 'I love you.' He was like, 'I love you, too, Dad. Can I come over to your house?' "

On how he will discipline his children in the future:

"I won't ever use a switch again," Peterson said. "There's different situations where a child needs to be disciplined as far as timeout, taking their toys away, making them take a nap. There's so many different ways to discipline your kids."

On whether he will ever play in Minnesota again:

"I would love to go back and play in Minnesota to get a feel and just see if my family still feels comfortable there," Peterson said. "But if there's word out that hey, they might release me, then so be it. I would feel good knowing that I've given everything I had in me.

On who is helping him out:

Peterson says he has been seeing a therapist out of Washington D.C., as well as a pastor near his home outside Houston who is certified in counseling. He also remains in touch with Vikings executive director of player development/legal Les Pico.

On how he feels about photos of his child's injuries being leaked:

"That's illegal," Peterson said. "For someone who wears the badge to disregard their badge and commit a crime says a lot. (But) no one cares how the pictures were released. All they care about is, 'Hey, these are the pictures. They say that he put leaves in his mouth. They say that he beat him. They say that I hit his hands (and those were) defensive wounds.' "

On how he's not Ray Rice:

"I take full responsibility, because I spanked my child, and no matter what my intentions were, I end up leaving those marks on his legs," Peterson said. "That's the bottom line.

"That's not what I tried to do, but that's what ended up happening. Don't put me in the same (category as Rice)."

[ USA Today]

Photo via Scott Halleran/Getty