Peterson avoids jail in plea agreement

Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson avoided jail on Tuesday by reaching a deal with Texas prosecutors to resolve a child abuse case that revived a national debate about corporal punishment.

Peterson was sentenced to a form of probation after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless assault for using a wooden switch to discipline his four-year-old son. It was not immediately clear how the plea deal would affect his playing status or whether he might be subject to a new NFL policy that calls for a six-game suspension without pay for a first domestic violence offense.

The All-Pro running back was indicted in September on a felony charge of injury to a child after the incident earlier this year in suburban Houston. He has been on paid leave under a special exemption from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.