Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was given a tentative trial date of Dec. 1 by a Texas judge, Yahoo! Sports reported. Peterson is facing charges of felony child abuse for disciplining his 4-year-old son with a tree branch earlier this year.
Peterson received the trial date Wednesday morning from Judge Kelly Case when he made his first court appearance in Houston. Peterson did not enter a plea agreement, and has stated his intention of pleading not guilty to the charges. Peterson could face up to two years in prison, if found guilty.
The NFL placed the star running back on the commissioner's exempt list in September. Peterson is barred from all team activities while on the exempt list. However, he is still eligible to receive his full $11.75 million salary. Minnesota's final game of the season is Dec. 28.
Brett Ligon, a Montgomery County District Attorney, hinted that he intends to file a motion to recuse judge Case after she allegedly referred to the attorneys in the case as "media whores." While Case apologized for her comments, a Nov. 4 hearing was scheduled to decide whether or not to assign the case to a new judge.
Peterson's defense lawyer, Rusty Hardin, has said that he wants the case tried as quickly as possible in order to get Peterson back on an NFL field.
