C.J.: Adrian Peterson tells ESPN he changed his sexy ways thanks to Leslie Frazier

Via Twitter on Tuesday, Adrian Peterson wrote that in August he admitted "I was promiscuous, made mistakes and had to change [my] ways."

The night before Peterson went to a Texas court Wednesday in connection with child abuse charges as a result of disciplining a 4-year-old son, the Vikings star player took to Twitter to vent over the media's handling of his case.

Peterson's list of grievances, as posted on Twitter, were described in a Deadspin.com headline like this: "Adrian Peterson Shows His Dumb Talking Points to the World."

The litany of Peterson's complaints, done in the style of cute "Journalism 101" points, included: "Do not repost the ESPN story from August when I admit I was promiscuous, made mistakes and had to change [my] ways."

I never saw this story. Neither did any of the colleagues at TV stations in the Twin Cities to whom I spoke.

"I never remember him saying he was promiscuous," Joe Schmit, sports anchor at KSTP-TV, which is connected to the ABC network as is ESPN, told me Wednesday.

"I remember him saying he was not a perfect man, not a perfect dad, not a perfect husband. To which I think in most states that would probably be proven. And none of us are."

A call to the great PR staff at ESPN unearthed the Aug. 13 ESPN.com article by Ben Goessling that included this paragraph: "First and foremost, [it was] getting in alignment what God wanted for me in my life and stop [being promiscuous]. I was pretty much doing what I wanted to do, and I could pretty much do that. [It was] just to get in alignment with God, having a wife and really creating that bond and that life. It was more fulfillment knowing the head man is proud and knowing I'm doing it the right way."

The answer to the question — how did Peterson arrive at this epiphany after having at least six children with six different women? — is what I expected it to be: "Peterson credited former Vikings coach Leslie Frazier with helping him make changes in his life, calling Frazier a 'spiritual mentor.' He was perhaps the Vikings' most outspoken player in defense of Frazier, who was fired Dec. 30 after a 5-10-1 season. But since then, Peterson said, he has realized no matter his personal relationship with Frazier, new coach Mike Zimmer is a better fit for the team."

Despite that skillful tap dancing from past to current coach, I am going to applaud what sounds like maturity in Peterson, who has traveled a career path known for its participants' arrested development.

All along the way, Peterson has assiduously kept his messy personal life private because either he knew (or was told) that it was inconsistent with the upstanding off-the-field citizen image he projected.

During some pre-enlightened days in 2010, I was contacted by the relative of a young woman who had given birth at Methodist Hospital to a baby she said was Peterson's, but he denied it. A few weeks later I saw Peterson at a charity event and asked him about it in a startribune.com/video.

Peterson, chewing gum and sassing me with forced smile, treated my inquiry like it was ridiculous.

Are you a new father, again? I asked.

"No, ma'am," said Peterson.

You're not?

"No … Are you a new mother?" he replied.

I told him I was a never mother.

C.J. can be reached at cj@startribune.com and seen on FOX 9's "Buzz." E-mailers, please state a subject; "Hello" does not count. Attachments are not opened.