Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson arrived in a Texas courtroom Wednesday to face a charge of felony child abuse for using a wooden switch to discipline his 4-year-old son earlier this year.

Accompanied by his wife and attorney, Peterson exited a black Cadillac Escalade outside the suburban Houston courthouse and was asked what he expected during his appearance.

"I don't know. We shall see," he said. Nearby was a person wearing a wildcat costume and holding a sign that said "Free AP" in sparkling letters, prompting a chuckle from Peterson's attorney, Rusty Hardin. Several women stood near the courthouse entrance shrieking and talking about how handsome Peterson looked after he entered the building.

Peterson, who was put on paid leave by the Vikings under a special roster exemption from the NFL commissioner, was expected to plead not guilty during his first court appearance since being indicted last month. If convicted, Peterson faces up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine in a case that surfaced as the NFL grapples with several players facing domestic violence allegations.

Peterson has said he never intended to harm his son and was only disciplining him in the same way he had been as a child growing up in East Texas.

Corporal punishment is legal in every U.S. state. Should Peterson's case go to trial, legal experts say, the final determination of what is reasonable discipline will be based on the standards found in the local community — and Texas law offers no definition of what that is. It says the use of non-deadly force against someone younger than 18 is justified if a parent or guardian "reasonably believes the force is necessary to discipline the child or to safeguard or promote his welfare."