Minnesota Vikings

When Adrian Peterson was told that he might be the father of a love child in South Dakota, he suspected it was true ... but he took a DNA test just to be sure, TMZ has learned.

Sources very familiar with the situation tell us ... when AP was notified about the situation roughly 2 to 3 months ago, he immediately offered to step up and help out in any way he could.

Adrian didn't suspect he was being targeted in any sort of cash grab -- but we're told that he realized it would be smart to get definitive proof that he was the child's biological dad before he made any big moves.

We're told ... once the test came back positive, AP supercharged his efforts to be a part of the kid's life -- and also offered to help out financially.

As we first reported, Adrian had initially planned to meet the child in the next couple of weeks -- but instead, he rushed to the hospital last week after learning the boy was on life support stemming from injuries allegedly caused by the mother's boyfriend. The boy died shortly after Adrian visited him.

Our sources say ... Adrian plans to fly back to South Dakota to attend his son's funeral later this week. We're also told he will continue to communicate with the mother in the future.

Peterson is set to face the Carolina Panthers any moment now -- and judging by the video ... fans inside the arena are gonna go OFF when AP hits the field.

As we previously reported ... Adrian insisted on playing in today's game following the death of his 2-year-old son and earlier today said, "God wants good to come from it."

Multiple sources connected to the situation tell us ... roughly 2-3 months ago, the mother of the child had a paternity test done with an ex she suspected to be the father, in an effort to collect child support from him.

But the test turned up negative, so the woman went to Adrian ... with whom she had a sexual encounter several years ago.

We're told ... when Adrian was first informed about the matter, he didn't question the possibility he was the dad -- but rather asked how he could help the situation.

Sources tell us ... a few weeks ago, A.P. started to plan a trip to South Dakota to meet the child for the first time and he was supposed to fly out later this month.

But when he heard the news about the attack on the 2-year-old, Peterson dropped everything and jetted over to Sioux Falls as soon as he could.

We're told Adrian met the child for the first time while the boy was on life support.

Multiple sources tell us ... Adrian has been very involved since the tragedy and was the one pushing to have the child's organs donated to other people in need of a transplant.

As for the suspect, Joey Patterson, we're told Adrian has never met the guy.

3:00 PM PDT: Peterson just sent a series of Tweets: "God Bless everyone and thank u so much. The NFL is a fraternity of brothers and I am thankful for the tweets, phone calls and text messages from my fellow players. Thank you to my family, my fans and fans of other teams for their support."

Adrian Peterson's 2-year-old son has died ... cops have confirmed.

Cops believe Peterson's son was severely beaten by 27-year-old Joseph Patterson, the man who was dating the mother of the NFL star's child.

As we reported, the mother of the child has decided to donate the child's organs to people in need.

The boy was on life support since 5:30 PM Thursday ... but his condition never improved ... so family members made the decision to take the child off the ventilator.

Sources tell TMZ .. Adrian was informed about the situation before the news went public.

We're told Peterson will be planning the funeral with other members of the boy's family.

Patterson was initially arrested in Sioux Falls, South Dakota for assault and battery of an infant -- and now, it's almost certain the charges will be elevated to murder.

10:16 AM PT -- Multiple sources tell TMZ ... Peterson's son is currently on life support and hasn't had brain activity since 5:30 PM last night.

We're told the family is monitoring the situation closely, and if there is no improvement in 24 hours, the mother wants to remove life support and donate the boy's organs to people in need.

10:00 AM PT -- Adrian Peterson's father has confirmed ... the injured boy is, in fact, Adrian's son ... but it's NOT Adrian Peterson Jr.

The Pioneer Press spoke with Nelson Peterson ... who says, "All I can say is, we are asking for prayers and for respect for our family as we deal with this tragic situation."

8:41 AM PT -- Multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell TMZ ... the injured child is Adrian's son, but it's not Adrian Peterson Jr., the child he's been famously photographed with in public over the years.

We reached out to Peterson's reps -- but so far, we have not heard back.

Adrian Peterson's 2-year-old son is currently in critical condition in a South Dakota hospital ... after he was allegedly severely beaten by the man dating the mother of his child, TMZ has learned.

The Minnesota Vikings running back immediately left his team to be with his son.

Officials tell us they've arrested the suspect, 27-year-old Joseph Patterson ... who's been charged with aggravated felony assault and battery of an infant.

According to law enforcement, emergency responders arrived to the apartment where Peterson's son was living at 5:46 PM on Wednesday ... and found the child unresponsive.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital and medical experts determined the injuries were consistent with abuse.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... the child suffered severe head injuries.

Adrian Peterson just addressed the media ... and thanked everyone for their support in the wake of the terrible tragedy involving his 2-year-old son.

Adrian told reporters he's dealing with the situation privately ... but insisted he WILL be playing with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

We broke the story ... Adrian's 2-year-old was severely beaten by the boyfriend of the child's mother.

The suspect was arrested for assault and battery.

Funny moment with NFL superstar Adrian Peterson ... when our guy was shooting the Minnesota Vikings running back in D.C. yesterday ... and fell ... HARD!!

It's pretty funny ... we were talking to A.P. about gay athletes in professional sports -- and he gave an interesting answer -- but that's when a stationary orange construction cone TOTALLY ATTACKED OUR PHOTOG!!

Our guy never saw it coming and went crashing to the ground as Adrian did the play-by-play -- "Down goes Frazier!!"

Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson -- aka Purple Jesus ... aka one of the greatest running backs of all time -- says he'll NEVER LET HIS SON PLAY FOOTBALL!!!

Peterson was out in Houston last week for All-Star Weekend -- carrying his young son -- when he said, "This is Adrian Jr. He won't be playing football."

There are a million possible reasons for why a dad wouldn't let his son play football -- but coming from one of the greatest NFL players ever, it's pretty shocking.

The likely explanation ... the game of football has recently come under intense scrutiny for its long-term health risks -- following the high-profile suicides of several NFL stars, including Junior Seau.

Even President Obama has commented on the health concerns -- saying if he had a son, he would have to think about whether he would let him play football.

NFL superstar Adrian Peterson claims he's officially off the hook for resisting arrest ... after prosecutors decided there wasn't enough evidence to prove he shoved an off-duty cop at a Houston bar this summer.

As we previously reported, AP was arrested on July 7 after he allegedly got hostile and physical with an off-duty police officer who was trying to escort the seemingly hammered NFL star out of the bar.

Now, Peterson's lawyer is telling the media the Vikings running back testified before a grand jury today, which found there was not sufficient evidence to pursue the case against him.

After getting the news, Peterson texted an ESPN reporter, "They dropped the charges. Thank God.”

Peterson has always maintained he did nothing wrong that night -- telling reporters, "I'm 200% innocent."

NFL star Adrian Peterson insists ... he did NOT resist arrest last week outside a Houston nightclub after allegedly shoving an off-duty police officer -- claiming, "I'm 200% innocent."

The Minnesota Vikings running back just spoke inside a Houston courthouse, telling reporters, "I didn't push, shove, touch anything or anyone, especially an officer."

He added, "I definitely don't have a problem with the Houston PD. This involves two individual officers that I have an issue with. Once everything is settled, the truth will come out."

Peterson was at court this morning for his arraignment on the resisting arrest charge -- but the arraignment was postponed to August.

On his way out, Peterson was asked if the incident was a run-of-the-mill drinking situation that got out of hand -- and Peterson responded, "Yeah, pretty much."

2:20 PM PT -- Peterson has lawyered up ... and his new attorney, Rusty Hardin, has released a statement ... claiming the NFL star did NOTHING wrong. In fact, Peterson claims HE is the real victim:

"Adrian Peterson did not resist arrest this past Saturday morning and any suggestion that he pushed, struck or shoved a Houston Police officer is a total fabrication."

The statement continues, "He, in fact, was struck at least twice in the face for absolutely no legitimate reason, and when all the evidence is impartially reviewed, it will clearly show Adrian was the victim, not the aggressor."

TMZ has obtained Adrian Peterson's mug shot ... taken moments after the NFL superstar was arrested for resisting arrest in Houston, Texas last week.

Peterson -- sporting a goofy smile -- was arrested after allegedly shoving an off-duty police officer in a Houston nightclub early Thursday morning.

The general manager of the nightclub tells TMZ ... Peterson was HAMMERED that night ... which is completely out of character for the Minnesota Vikings running back, who has a reputation for being a very low-key guy.

We're told Peterson apologized to police after the incident.

The lights were on and the club was slowly emptying out, but NFL star Adrian Peterson was getting arrested ... as you can see in new video obtained by TMZ.

As TMZ first reported, Adrian was quite drunk at the time of his arrest Saturday morning, which police say came after Peterson shoved an off-duty police officer who was working security at the club.

In the video, Peterson can be seen being escorted out by cops while several people look on. The woman who shot the video tells TMZ she didn't see what lead to the arrest, but once it was going down ... she felt the cops were being super aggressive with him.

Adrian Peterson was heavily intoxicated at the time of his arrest, which was very out of character for the NFL star ... this according to the club where he was busted early this morning.

Daniel Maher, general manager of Live at Bayou Place, tells TMZ that Peterson has been to the club before, but he has never known him to drink much. Last night, however, Maher said Peterson was ver drunk and was a difficult customer all night.

Maher says Peterson was throwing his ego around and making people mad, so they put him in the VIP area. Maher says when the club was closing, he rushed over to the bar to try and order one last drink and when he wouldn't Maher says Peterson "tried to intimidate the bartender" into selling it to him.

According to Maher, that's when he intervened, but Peterson continued to be "unreasonable." That's when Maher says the off-duty cop intervened, and, as TMZ first reported, Peterson proceeded to shove him.

Maher says during his confrontation with the officer, Peterson assumed a fight stance and looked "like he meant business." Maher says, "He looked really scary and I thought he was gonna attack the cops."

Maher says that once the officers subdued Peterson, the NFL star apologized for his behavior and told cops he doesn't usually drink.

Peterson was eventually booked into jail and charged with resisting arrest.

NFL star Adrian Peterson shoved an off-duty police officer in a Houston bar this morning and that's what lead to his arrest ... the Houston Police Department tells TMZ.

Kese Smith, the PIO for the Houston PD, tells TMZ an off-duty police officer was working security for the club Live! at Bayou Place when closing time approached and he told various patrons it was time to leave.

Smith says the officer had to come back and tell Peterson a second time that he needed to leave and Peterson shot back, "Hey man, we heard you the first time!" and pushed the officer in the back of his shoulder, causing him to stumble.

Smith says the officer then told Peterson to turn around and put his arms behind his back because he was under arrest and Peterson began yelling at the officer. Smith says the officer repeated himself and that's when Peterson turned around to face the officer and got in "an aggressive stance."

Smith says a second off-duty cop came over to assist, but Peterson continued to resist, ignoring several verbal warnings.

A third officer then rushed over, Smith says, and they were finally able to arrest him and take him to jail.

NFL star Adrian Peterson was arrested early Thursday morning in Houston, TX and charged with resisting arrest ... TMZ has learned.

Peterson, who is recovering from a torn knee ligament suffered on Christmas Eve of last year, was booked into Houston Police Department Central Jail and posted $1,000 this morning.

On the jail's website, Peterson's charge is listed as "RESIST ARREST/SEARCH-UNCLASSIF."

A rep for the Minnesota Vikings told ESPN Radio in Minneapolis, "We are aware of the situation and are gathering more information. At this point, we will have no further comment."

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook was arrested early this morning and charged with domestic battery.

Cook was busted by police in Eden Prairie after a neighbor called 911 to report people across the street yelling and screaming. He was arrested without incident.

Cook still in custody and in danger of missing tomorrow's game against the Green Bay Packers. He was scheduled to start.

Back in March, Cook was arrested on suspicion of brandishing a gun during a fight with another man. He was acquitted in a bench trial in May.