Minnesota Vikings

Our Adrian Peterson baby count was off by two -- at least according to one of the NFL star's baby mamas, who tells us AP has actually fathered SEVEN kids, not five.

TMZ broke the story about baby #5 today, but Erica Syion -- a former dancer who met AP in Houston a few years back -- called in to "TMZ Live" today to correct our math ... and the numbers are pretty shocking.

Adrian Peterson's baby count is now at 5 ... 'cause a 4th woman has surfaced who has a child with the NFL star, TMZ has learned.

This time, the baby mama is Erica Syion -- a former dancer who worked at a gentlemen's club in Dallas, TX. Erica and Adrian have a 4-year-old son together.

Sources connected to the situation tell us ... the two have a financial arrangement, in which Adrian gives Erica money to pay for the kid's schooling, as well as living expenses.

We're told the two met in Houston back in 2007 ... but their relationship has deteriorated in the past few years.

Sources tell us Adrian IS involved in the child's life -- but Erica is the primary parent, with Adrian visiting when he can.

In total, Adrian has fathered (at least) 5 children: 2 kids he referenced in a 2009 documentary ... one was 4 at the time. He didn't mention the age of the other (it's likely he was referencing his son with Erica).

Since then ... he fathered Adrian Peterson Jr. (who's 2-years-old) and a 3-month-old daughter with a waitress in Minnesota. His other son, a 2-year-old, passed away last week.

It's possible his 8-year-old and AP Jr. have the same mom -- but so far, we haven't been able to confirm.

Adrian Peterson fathered a 5th child -- his 2nd secret child -- and the mother was a waitress at a popular Minnesota nightclub, TMZ has learned.

We've confirmed ... the child is a 3-month-old little girl who's living with her mom in Minnesota.

Sources close to the situation tell us the child's last name on her birth certificate is listed as "Peterson."

On the day Peterson's 2-year-old son Ty passed away, the mother of AP's 5th child posted an emotional message on her Facebook page about the situation.

"Today has been a long day finding out my [daughter's] brother passed away and knowing that she never even got to meet him."

Sources connected to the situation tell us ... the mother of AP's 5th child first met the NFL star while serving him as a VIP waitress at a place called Seven -- a steakhouse, sushi joint and ultralounge all wrapped in one.

It's unclear how involved Adrian has been in the child's life -- but the mother recently posted a photo showing the child decked out in Minnesota Vikings gear, so we're guessing they're cool.

Peterson has fathered 4 other children -- an 8-year-old daughter, a 4-year-old son, a 2-year-old son and another son, who died just months after AP learned he was the father.

The man who raised Adrian Peterson's 2-year-old son says he's sick and tired of people feeling sorry for the NFL star, claiming AP didn't care about the boy because he never got the chance to meet him.

We broke the story, AP only learned he was the biological dad a few months ago. Before the revelation, the child's mother was under the impression that the father was a man named Bobby Ruffin.

After the child passed away on Friday, Bobby went to his Facebook page and unloaded ... writing, "So tired of this poor Adrian Peterson sh*t. Let me blow all your minds. The boy who died was my son."

"Yes A.P. he was the biological father but I raised him and he carried my name. Tyrese Robert Ruffin. I don’t blame AP for not really caring cuz him and I both found out recently who the biological father was."

“AP met my son for the first time yest when my son was already in coma. I was here today when we pulled the plug, not him. He was happily practicing and has no problem playing on Sunday."

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.