Adrian Peterson agrees to complete counseling after February arrest

Adrian Peterson was arrested on a domestic violence charge Feb. 13. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

Free agent running back Adrian Peterson agreed to complete 20 sessions of domestic violence and alcohol counseling within the next six months to avoid facing a misdemeanor charge related to his February arrest at Los Angeles International Airport, the L.A. City Attorney’s Office said.

A pre-filing hearing with the city attorney, an alternative to prosecution, was held Friday. Peterson has not been charged, but should he not complete the counseling, he could face a misdemeanor, a spokesperson for the city attorney’s office said.

Peterson, 37, was arrested the morning of Feb. 13, the day of Super Bowl LVI. In a statement, airport police said a flight bound for Houston turned back to the gate because Peterson and his wife got into “a verbal and physical altercation.” He was booked and released on $50,000 bond.

In a statement she shared two days later, Peterson’s wife, Ashley, wrote that they had “a verbal argument” but “at no point did Adrian hit or strike me.” The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office did not charge Peterson with a felony but referred the case to the city attorney for misdemeanor consideration.

Peterson has played for seven teams in his 15-year NFL career. He appeared in four games in 2021 for the Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks and is currently a free agent. He ranks fifth in career rushing yards with 14,918.