Peterson declined to comment on why he agreed to a plea deal or other facts of the criminal case in Texas, other than to refute what he says is false information about the incident. He said he also wants to see the person who leaked photos of his son's injuries is brought to justice.
"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.' "
All of those allegations are false, Peterson said, repeating what he told police: He had his son take off his pants and whipped him with a switch, which he didn't realize was wrapping around the boy's thigh and leaving marks.
Growing up in Texas, Peterson faced corporal punishment from his father and others. He's acutely aware that such punishments are viewed differently along geographical, cultural and racial lines, meaning his reintegration process might be easier some places than others.
"I got paddled at school," Peterson said. "People up north don't know anything about that, about going to the principal's office and getting three swats on your behind with a board with a hole cut in it."
The photos of his son's injuries provoked reactions on social media similar to the outcry when video of then-Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching out his then-fiancée surfaced days before Peterson's indictment. The timing colored public perception as the league was under heavy fire for its handling of domestic criminal incidents involving players.
"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)."