On Twitter, many ask why Adrian Peterson’s discipline of child is at issue

The news that Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson had been indicted in Texas on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child brought a swift reaction on social media, but perhaps not the one you might imagine.

Peterson's attorney Rusty Hardin released the following statement about the case:

"Adrian is a loving father who used his judgment as a parent to discipline his son. He used the same kind of discipline with his child that he experienced as a child growing up in east Texas. Adrian has never hidden from what happened."

That position resonated with many on Twitter, where a common reaction was: My parents would be locked up too.

For his part, Peterson did not address the indictment publicly, but used Twitter to post a message before it became news.

Here's a look at some of the comments questioning whether the discipline acknowledged by Peterson's attorney should be treated as criminal.

Others said they thought people should exercise caution in defending Peterson until more about the case was known.

Peterson's 2-year old son died last year in South Dakota after allegedly being beaten by the boyfriend of the child's mother. While some on Twitter seemed confused about whether Peterson had any involvement in that incident -- he did not -- others said they didn't believe someone who suffered that loss would intentionally abuse another child.

UPDATES:

8:48 p.m. This story was updated with additional information and reaction about the case.

This story was originally published at 6:18 p.m.

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