For the Vikings" Peterson, the Death of a Young Son Is Another Devastating Turn EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - Several of Adrian Peterson's teammates created such a commotion Thursday, whooping and laughing as they entered the Minnesota Vikings" locker room, that Peterson had to repeat his explanation for missing practice the day before. The answer was not any easier the second time. "I attended my son's funeral," he said solemnly. Over the next few minutes, Peterson, a five-time Pro Bowler at running back and the N.F.L."s most valuable player last season, confirmed details about his relationship with 2-year-old Tyrese Robert Ruffin, known as Ty, a son Peterson said he did not know he had until two months ago. The boy died earlier this month in Sioux Falls, S.D. A man who lived with the boy's mother is accused of inflicting injuries that led to the boy's death. That man, Joseph Patterson, 27, has been charged with battery on a child younger than 3 years old and aggravated assault, and he is being held on $750,000 bond. In a telephone interview, the Lincoln County state's attorney Tom Wollman said that, based on the final autopsy report, the charges could be refiled before the case went to a grand jury. On Thursday, the day after the funeral, Peterson remained shaken and saddened. "It was a difficult day, taking in the circumstance, the whole situation," he said. A child is buried. That's difficult for anyone. It's devastating. A lot of people won't ever understand the situation that I'm in, how I'm seeing the situation. It's tough, but I'm able to deal with that. I've got a good supporting cast around me that's been supporting me as well during this tough time. Although limited by a hamstring strain, Peterson was expected to play Monday night against the Giants at MetLife Stadium. The giddiness surrounding Peterson in the locker room Thursday contrasted with the Vikings" dour mood the previous Sunday, when Carolina routed Minnesota, 35-10. In that game, two days after his son's death, Peterson ran for a season-low 62 yards on 10 carries as the Vikings fell to 1-4. "It's a tough situation," said Toby Gerhart, Peterson's backup. You can definitely tell it's affecting him. He's down, but we're all here trying to support him and encourage him and be there for whatever he needs. For the Vikings, who were coming off an unexpected 10-6 record and wild-card playoff berth, a promising season has unraveled quickly, with problems abounding on both sides of the ball. Josh Freeman, released by Tampa Bay this month and signed by the Vikings two weeks ago, will be Minnesota's third starting quarterback this season. But that is not the team's biggest concern. Minnesota's defense ranks 31st in the N.F.L. in yards allowed per game, ahead of only Philadelphia's, and it gave up decisive touchdowns in the final minute of back-to-back losses to Chicago and Cleveland. "Our defense has not played well," Coach Leslie Frazier said. Our entire team needs to play better, but our defense for sure has to play better. Peterson has not been as dominant as he was last year, when he challenged Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing mark and finished with 2,097 yards, 8 short of the record. Entering Sunday's games, he ranked fourth in the N.F.L. with 483 rushing yards this season. Peterson, who is engaged and has two children who live with him, rarely shares details of his personal life with his teammates. Few knew Peterson had a son in South Dakota. Peterson's troubled back story, however, is well known. A drunken driver struck and killed Peterson's older brother Brian, who was riding a bicycle, while Peterson, then 7, watched. Peterson's half-brother Chris Paris was shot and killed the night before Peterson participated in the N.F.L. combine in 2007. And Peterson's father, Nelson, served time in prison for laundering drug money. Peterson said he offered financial support for Ty and Ty's mother after he learned he was the boy's father. He was arranging to go to Sioux Falls when the boy was injured on Oct. 9. Peterson skipped practice on Oct. 10 to visit Ty in the hospital, the only time he saw him alive. The next day, with Peterson back at practice, Ty died after he was taken off life support. When Peterson missed practice, club officials told the players little. "We were informed he was dealing with a situation," center John Sullivan said. We weren't given specifics. Most learned the details through news media reports the next day. Adrian Peterson Jr., Peterson's son with his fiancée, Ashley Brown, is also 2. Many people presumed Adrian Jr. was the injured boy, so Peterson took to Twitter to clear up the confusion and ask people to stop posting photos of Adrian Jr. "It's a very difficult situation, without question," Frazier, the Vikings" coach, said. It has many challenges. Although Peterson quickly received messages of support via Twitter, including one from the Miami Heat's LeBron James, others criticized Peterson for not being in South Dakota when Ty died. "Everyone grieves in a different manner," Vikings long snapper Cullen Loeffler said. It's unfortunate that he's actually caught in this situation. We're here to support him - anything that he needs or anything we can help him through. Peterson said: "People are going to speculate. People are going to say this and that. I can't let that bother me. "I'm too focused on trying to mourn, be there for his mother, taking in the loss of my son," he continued. I haven't been able to focus on anything else outside of that.