Visual evidence has sealed former National Football League running back Adrian Peterson's, suspending him for the rest of the 2014 season.

Initially, Peterson was suspended from his team - the Minnesota Vikings - because he was being charge with child abuse. He was allegedly hitting his child with a branch and confessed that his father disciplined him much the same way.

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However, his initial ban has grown into an even more serious punishment, as photos have surfaced showing visible damage on the child of Peterson.

This is akin to the Ray Rice scandal wherein footage from the elevator was made public.

Much like the video of Rice and his wife, the new evidence prompted the NFL Commissioner to apply a stricter penalty to Peterson.

In a letter from Goodell to Peterson, he announced to the running back that he would be suspended for at least the last six games of the regular season.

He cited the "visible swelling, marks, and cuts" on the child's ankles, limbs, buttocks, and genitals as reason for the severity of the penalty.

Therefore, Peterson will be benched until April without the possibility of any pay.

Goodell's actions could have been fuelled by his knowledge that the people would not be able to get over the lacerations on the child's legs, or the police report that said that Peterson would put leaves in the boy's mouth and that the child feared his father would punch him if he came forward.

A source from the NFL said that the one real deciding factor for Goodell's actions was the visible injury on the boy's genital area, which separates Peterson's actions from being an acceptable form of disciplining.

The commissioner went on to say that Peterson showed no meaningful remorse for his conduct.

"The well-being of your children," the commissioner wrote," is of paramount concern. ... We are unaware of any effort on your part to acknowledge the seriousness of your conduct and your responsibility to demonstrate a genuine commitment to change."

TagsAdrian Peterson, pictures, Roger Goodell, minnesota vikings