McKinnie puts focus on his play, not future

MANKATO -- Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie faces plenty of unknowns as he prepares for his seventh NFL season.

He faces four charges, including one felony, stemming from a brawl outside a Miami nightclub in February, and he is scheduled for a Sept. 24 court date. (He does not need to appear.) That incident also made McKinnie a repeat offender of the league's conduct policy, meaning he could face a multi-game suspension from the NFL.

McKinnie, who met with Commissioner Roger Goodell in June, said Wednesday he has not heard from the league and isn't worrying about things at this point. "I actually have been focused on football," he said. "I feel like some of the stuff that happened in the offseason has been my motivation to play well this season. I've been pretty focused."

There is good reason for this. In March, Vikings coach Brad Childress admitted to reporters that he faced a potentially "difficult" decision on McKinnie's future. Childress' message almost certainly was conveyed in a face-to-face discussion with McKinnie, who received a seven-year contract extension worth $48.5 million in 2006. McKinnie said Childress and the Vikings have been supportive throughout this process.

McKinnie isn't in a situation to talk about his case -- his Florida-based attorney has asked the state to allow McKinnie to enter a pre-trial diversion program that could lead to the charges being dismissed -- but said he's confident things will work out.

"People may not know the whole story," McKinnie said. "Sometimes it might get portrayed as one way when that might not be the case. ... I guess when everything is done and over with then you could possibly talk about it. It depends on how everything goes."

Meanwhile, McKinnie is spending much of camp locked in one-on-one battles with Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen, who led the NFL with 15.5 sacks last season. That experience should be very valuable considering McKinnie's goal is to improve his pass blocking.

(startribune.com)