Hartman: Peterson's childhood was filled with physical discipline

With Vikings star Adrian Peterson's indictment in Texas on child abuse charges, it has been interesting to read some of the history surrounding Peterson and the seemingly hard punishment he received growing up.

There were two stories published this week that painted Peterson's adolescence as being one filled with physical discipline.

The Daily Mail out of the United Kingdom ran a story in which Peterson's former high school football and track coach admitted he used to hit Peterson, and other players, with an 18-inch-long wooden paddle, and that Peterson was supposedly thankful for the punishment.

Booker Bowie coached Peterson at Palestine High School in Texas as his defensive coordinator and track coach, before the star running back attended the University of Oklahoma. Bowie told the Daily Mail that the punishments were part of what he called his "tough love" regimen.

Bowie, 59, said that when Peterson would misbehave he would get three lashes with the stick and that afterward Peterson would say, "Coach, thank you.' "

Texas is one of 19 states where corporal punishment is allowed in state schools. It was banned from state schools in Minnesota in 1989.

"It wasn't my intention to abuse the kids, the kids loved me for it," Bowie told the Daily Mail. "I wanted them to do right. They said: 'Coach, thank you.' "

"The way Adrian came up, his parents, his mother was disciplining him. He understands it. It helped his teammates, his classmates. I think that's what he was doing [to his son]."

USA Today also published a long article detailing Peterson's relationship with his father and the disciplinary tactics he would use against Peterson when he was growing up.

An article published online Wednesday dealt with Peterson and his friend David Cummings leaving football practice in middle school to find Peterson's father, Nelson, waiting in the parking lot.

Adrian had apparently been disruptive in class, and Nelson had gotten word.

"His dad asked what happened, and Adrian told him," Cummings told USA Today.

The Vikings running back said in his news release that he always stood by the way that his parents disciplined him and believed it made him a better person.

"I have always believed that the way my parents disciplined me has a great deal to do with the success I have enjoyed as a man," Adrian Peterson said in his statement this week.

One reason the Gophers football team is only an 8½-point favorite Saturday against a San Jose State team that lost its last game by 46 points to Auburn is that Gophers defensive line coach Jeff Phelps, who has been with Jerry Kill since Kill was hired at Northern Illinois in 2008, said he is playing four true freshmen and essentially starting three. That's something Phelps said has been a little unusual in his career with Kill.

"[We haven't had] this many, but we've always had true freshmen that have played on the defensive line," Phelps said. "We are playing four true freshmen. We have Steven Richardson, Andrew Stelter, Gaelin Elmore and Gary Moore.

"Steven Richardson is starting, but then Andrew Stelter and Gaelin Elmore would probably be considered starters too, as we rotate our guys through there."

"Yeah, it's a challenge, but they are doing a great job and working hard at it," he said.

The defensive line is only dealing with one major injury with junior Alex Keith sidelined by a knee injury, but Phelps believes getting the freshmen into the game will be beneficial.

"We're playing all those freshmen trying to get them a little bit of experience and get ready for the game this week and into the future," he said.

• For four seasons, Toby Gerhart was available for the Vikings as a backup for Peterson. However, Gerhart left as a free agent for the Jacksonville Jaguars this past offseason, and he is having a rough time there. He has 25 carries for only 50 yards in the Jaguars' 0-2 start.

• San Jose State quarterback Blake Jurich completed 16 of 27 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown before leaving because of an injury to his non-throwing arm in the Spartans' 59-13 loss at Auburn on Sept. 6. Jurich is practicing this week and will be ready Saturday. San Jose State, which like Texas Christian last weekend had a bye before facing the Gophers, also will have in uniform its No. 1 and No. 2 backs, who both missed the Auburn game: Jarod Lawson was serving the second game of a suspension, and Thomas Tucker, who averaged 5.1 yards per carry last year, was sidelined by a foot injury.

• Alex Illikainen, the highly recruited basketball player from Grand Rapids, Minn., who is playing his senior season for Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, is visiting Wisconsin this week and could commit. The Gophers like the 6-11 Illikainen a lot, but they don't have a scholarship for him. There is a good chance he will wind up with the Badgers. … Speaking of the Gophers and Badgers hoops programs, Wisconsin will be featured on CBS or the ESPN family of networks 15 times in the upcoming season, while the Gophers will have 13 games featured on the ESPN networks.

• Gophers coach Richard Pitino writing on his blog about new recruit Bakary Konate: "I have been impressed with several players. As for the newcomers, Bakary Konate has stood out the most. This year will be perfect for him to learn under Elliott [Eliason] and Mo [Walker]. He is a legit 6-11, plays with a high motor, and is very skilled. He also is a phenomenal kid and a quick learner. We are very excited!"

• Justin Smith, who was announced recently as a new assistant Gophers men's golf coach for John Carlson, was named to the All-America third team once and was an honorable mention twice during his U athletic career. He tied for fourth at the 2002 NCAA championships.