Tom GantertLos Angeles, CA – Seven-time National Football League (NFL) Pro Bowl player Adrian Peterson was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday and later released in connection with an argument he had with his wife on an airplane.
Los Angeles Airport Police said in a statement that they received a call around 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 13 about “a verbal and physical altercation between a male suspect and a female victim” aboard an aircraft bound for Houston, ESPN reported.
Peterson and his wife, Ashley, had gotten into a verbal altercation with each other during the flight that became a physical tussle.
Then Peterson allegedly grabbed Ashley’s wedding ring and tried to pull it off her hand, TMZ reported.
In the process, he scratched her finger.
The plane returned to the gate, the Petersons were deplaned, and the free-agent NFL running back was arrested in the terminal, ESPN reported.
Ashley was allowed to reboard and take the flight to Houston.
Sources said that Peterson’s wife did not want to press charges and he was later released after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office elected not to prosecute the 36-year-old professional football player with domestic violence, TMZ reported.
However, that may not be the end of the incident because the case will be sent to the Los Angeles City Attorney who could still opt to bring misdemeanor domestic violence charges against the football player.
“I was literally mind-blown that they took me to jail,” Peterson told KRIV. “They were like, ‘I’m sorry, Mr. Peterson, but because she had a scratch on her finger, (in) the state of California, we have to take you in.’ I sit there and watch the plane pull back and take off and I’m just like, ‘Wow! I cannot believe this is happening right now. I’m going to jail, and I literally didn’t do anything.’”
ICYMI: @AdrianPeterson, in a telephone interview with FOX 26 Sports, on the incident that caused him to be arrested in LA: “I was literally mindblown that they took me to jail.They were like I’m sorry Mr. Peterson, but because she had a scratch on her finger, (in) the state of..” pic.twitter.com/qB2Ay77fPQ
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) February 14, 2022
“It’s blown out of proportion,” Peterson continued. “Me and the wife got into an argument on the plane. That was pretty much the gist of it. I ended up grabbing her hand and taking her ring off her finger.”
“She didn’t press any charges. The state of California pressed charges because there was a scratch on her hand,” he explained.
“Literally, that’s why I went to jail, because the ring left a scratch on her finger,” Peterson insisted. “We just had a disagreement. I know the headlines: ‘Domestic Violence.’ You’d think I beat her up or something. It was nothing like that.”
Peterson has made $103.2 million in salary in his 15 seasons in the NFL. He is fifth all-time in career rushing yards with 14,918.
Holly Matkin
