Mother’s Boyfriend Beats NFL Star Adrian Peterson’s 2-Year Old Son To Death [VIDEO]

The 2-year-old son of Minnesota Vikings superstar running back, Adrian Peterson, died on Friday in a Sioux Falls, S.D.  Tragically, the child's death was not an accident, police confirmed he was beaten to death by his mothers boyfriend.

Police arrested 27-year old Joseph Robert Patterson, who was initially charged with aggravated assault and aggravated assault on an infant. Sioux Falls police said additional charges are being considered.  As the investigation continues police have discovered that Patterson has a prior domestic abuse record with a different woman and child, in which he plead guilty to simple assault in an incident last year.

Sioux Falls police said Patterson recently started a relationship with Adrian Peterson's ex and that the she had recently moved into his apartment with her son.  Police said the incident was initially reported as a medical emergency.  According to reports, the 2-year child was fatally injured at Patterson's apartment.

The actual assault happened Wednesday Oct. 9th, where Patterson called 911 on to report a choking at his Platinum Valley apartment.  Lt. Blaine Larsen of the Sioux Falls Police Department reported that was the child was examined it became clear at the hospital that the boy's injuries were not accidental.

Sioux Falls spokesman Sam Clemens said, "As officers and first responders got there, they found child was unresponsive and he was taken to the hospital.  So they ended up calling police about that or letting them know. We had detectives talk to quite a few people to try to figure out what happened. What they ended up finding was that when the injuries happened there was one person with that child, and that person was Joseph Patterson."

Clemens continued, "The injuries they found were head injuries.  It was obvious to medical staff that abuse had taken place and that those injuries weren't accidental."  For now Clemens says police believe the child's mother is innocent adding we believe she was "gone for a short time, and that's when we believe the injury occurred."  However, if the investigation turns up the fact that the mother allowed Patterson to beat the child before, her freedom will be in jeopardy.

On Friday, Adrian Peterson's father, Nelson Peterson, confirmed the sad news of the child's death.  At press time, Adrian Peterson met with the media Friday, just hours before his son passed away, and said at the time he still planned to play in Sunday's game against Carolina, but declined to get into details about the case.

Peterson posted a statement on his Twitter account after news of the child's death.

As for Patterson, he appeared in court Friday morning in Canton, S.D.  His bond had been set at $750,000 in cash before the boy's death.  In light of Patterson's latest arrest, the Lincoln County prosecutor's office filed motions to order him to serve a two year sentence that had been suspended in two prior domestic cases.

Court records show that Patterson has a son with another Sioux Falls woman.  This is where his prior abuse stems from.  Apparently, the other woman had asked for protection orders twice, claiming he'd choked, punched her, threatened her with a knife and held her in the bedroom against her will.  However, she ended up not pursuing permanent protection orders which is why the charges were dropped voluntarily in 2010 and 2011.

Then just last year, Patterson was charged with simple assault against the mother and ordered to undergo family violence training and to stay away from her until completing it.

In the meantime, Adrian's teammates and Vikings coach Leslie Frazier are doing their best to stand by him.  Coach Frazier said it would be up to Adrian whether he plays Sunday, adding "We'll see how things go with him.  We expect him to play, but this is a very personal situation that he's dealing with."

Peterson, said football helps get him through tough times, "I plan on playing Sunday," he said. "I will be playing Sunday, correct that. I'll be ready to roll, focused. I'm worried about getting a W on Sunday, being 1-0... You know, football is something I will always fall back on. It gets me through tough times. Just being around the guys in here, that's what I need in my life, guys supporting me and just being able to go out and play this game I love. Things that I go through, I've said a thousand times, it helps me play this game to a different level. I'm able to kind of release a lot of my stress through this sport, so that's what I plan on doing."

As the investigation continues we will keep you posted and said Adrian and his family our deepest condolences.