Adrian Peterson will play Sunday despite son's death

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson said he is certain he will play Sunday, despite a serious personal matter that caused him to miss practice earlier this week.

Peterson declined to speak today specifically about the situation, asking reporters to respect his and his family's privacy. His father, Nelson Peterson, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that one of Peterson's sons had died at a hospital in South Dakota.

Prosecutors and police in South Dakota declined to confirm that Peterson is the father of a 2-year-old boy who was hospitalized with severe head injuries in Sioux Falls on Wednesday. Police described the child's condition as consistent with abuse.

The man accused in the case, Joseph Patterson, 27, was initially charged in Lincoln County with aggravated assault and aggravated battery on an infant. He had a court appearance today and was ordered held on $750,000 cash bond.