Don’t give Adrian Peterson a free pass because he’s a Minnesota Viking.

And he’s not just any Viking. He’s the only player featured on artists renderings of the new $1.02 billion stadium — a stadium to which Minnesota taxpayers are contributing $498 million.

But the biggest name in Minnesota sports sat out the Vikings 30-7 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday after being accused of child abuse. A Texas grand jury indicted Peterson, the star running back of the Vikings, saying he crossed the line when he repeatedly struck his son with a tree branch, or switch, in May. He turned himself in Saturday, was booked and was released on $15,000 bond. It’s yet another in a string of high-profile violence cases for the NFL to surface after a video showed former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice striking his then-fiancee in a casino elevator.

After the Vikings reinstated him Monday, Peterson issued a statement apologizing for incident, saying he “never intended to harm my son.”

Peterson and his attorney has said he has never run from what happened — and that Peterson was inflicting the same discipline he endured as a child.

“I have to live with the fact that when I disciplined my son the way I was disciplined as a child, I caused an injury that I never intended or thought would happen,” he said in a statement.

Already, fans have flocked to Peterson’s defense across the state, many on social media argued it’s just good old-fashioned parenting. Several fans wore Peterson’s No. 28 at Sunday’s game and one, according to the New York Daily News, carried a switch.

While we respect Peterson’s apology and the fact that people make mistakes, that doesn’t negate Peterson’s alleged actions.

Sorry, Vikings fans, times have changed and now is not the time to simply defend your star, even after the Vikings lost badly without him. Yes, Peterson is innocent until proven guilty, but child abuse should never be dismissed.

According to the Associated Press, parents in every state in the U.S. can legally hit their child as long as the force is “reasonable.” What’s considered reasonable varies and is often left up to a jury. In Texas, where Peterson is accused, punishment is abusive if it causes injury, according to the report.

It appears evidence is available to show this caused injury. Several media sources published photographs reportedly released by the Houston Police Department that reveal marks on the child’s legs — more than seven — and several appear to have drawn blood, which the charges indicate. Several reports also allege the boy said his father has a “whooping room.”

Tough love, spanking and discipline are one thing, and parents have every right to make reasonable decisions. But drawing blood clearly crosses the line. The pictures seem to indicate this went beyond simple spanking, though that will be a decision ultimately left up to the Texas courts.

But because he’s a football player — and perhaps the most talented in Minnesota history — many people seem willing and eager to pass it off as nothing more than a spanking.

Granted, Peterson’s case is different from the Rice case and its clear video evidence that shows him striking his fiancee. It’s easy to question the Peterson pictures. For his actions, the Ravens cut Rice, and the NFL suspended him.

Striking a 4-year-old to the point of bleeding should be viewed as just as reprehensible as Rice’s actions. When a muscular running back who bashes into linebackers for a living strikes a child, that should disgust everyone — especially fans when he’s the face of your franchise and a likely first-ballot hall of famer.

The explanation that it’s the same discipline Peterson received as a child shouldn’t be solace to anyone. Some of our grandparents and great-grandparents worked in factories in their youth before child labor laws. Would that OK child labor today?

Laws and standards have changed and continue to change. Today, such discipline is not acceptable.

Peterson not only represents the Vikings franchise and its new stadium, he also represents Minnesota. Our children wear his No. 28 jersey and idolize him. If anything, we must hold such athletes to higher standards.

If this had happened to a relative or a neighborhood boy, Austin and Minnesota residents would be disgusted. But since Minnesota’s football dreams rest largely on Peterson, people seem more willing to give him a pass.

A child’s well-being transcends wins and dreams of the playoffs or even a Super Bowl. Go ahead and cheer the Vikings Sunday, but mute your cheers for Peterson. Don’t forget what he’s accused of.

We hope that Peterson, like all of us, will learn from what happened.