The NFL's image just keeps getting hammered.
After a tumultuous week that included the release of a surveillance video showing Ray Rice's brutal knockout punch of his wife, intense scrutiny of Commissioner Roger Goodell for his handling of the case and lots of conversation about domestic violence now comes this: Adrian Peterson indicted Friday on a charge of injury to a child with a warrant issued for his arrest.
A Montgomery County, Texas, grand jury handed down the charge, which stems from the Minnesota Vikings star using a "switch," typically a branch from a bush or tree, to spank his son.
At this point, the extent of injuries suffered by the child is unclear but Peterson attorney Rusty Hardin said, "It is important to remember that Adrian never intended to harm his son and deeply regrets the unintentional injury."
The condition of the child — physically and psychologically — is paramount.
Far more important than the points you might have lost on your fantasy team when the Vikings swiftly deactivated the NFL's best running back.
And it's another huge dent to the NFL's shield, threatened to be tarnished beyond repair with one sordid episode after another.
Ray Rice, the former Baltimore Ravens running back, beat down the then fiancée who became his wife. Jim Irsay, the suspended Indianapolis Colts owner, was arrested with a cache of illegal prescription drugs to feed an addiction and convicted of DUI.
Greg Hardy, the Carolina Panthers' best pass-rusher, has been convicted of domestic assault, pending appeal.
And those are just recent cases.
Peterson, who was punished with a switch while growing up in east Texas, will get his day in court.
But this is the latest reminder of how real life transcends football.
Society's issues don't stop at the NFL's borders. Domestic violence. Alcoholism. Drug addiction. Depression. Bullying. Homophobia. Racism.
Now child abuse is on the NFL radar, too, even if Peterson is proven innocent.
The NFL's mass appeal guarantees that people who have never given a second thought to what a "switch" has to do with discipline, will become enlightened.
No doubt Peterson is not the only father who might invoke what might be regarded as "old-school" methods of discipline. And most we will never know about.
But Peterson happens to be one of the most popular players in the NFL, the face of a franchise.
He's held to a higher standard, fair or not. And it comes nearly a year after his two-year old son died last October in Sioux Falls, S.D., allegedly assaulted by a man who was dating the boy's mother. Peterson found out that he was the father only two months before the death.
Yes, "role models" — to use the term loosely — are real people, too, with real problems.
The news about Peterson on Friday reminded us that.
Again.
As if we already didn't know.
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Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell
WATCH: WHAT'S NEXT FOR PETERSON AND THE NFL?
A tumultuous week got worse for the NFL when star running back Adrian Peterson was indicted in Texas on a charge of injuring a child. USA TODAY Sports' Tom Pelissero breaks down what's next for Peterson, the Vikings and the league. USA TODAY Sports
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