Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Linval Joseph was struck in his calf by a stray bullet fired in a nightclub in downtown Minneapolis early Saturday morning, the team said in a statement.
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<cite style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 10px !important; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; display: block; color: rgb(171, 171, 171); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall</cite>Linval Joseph, who joined the Vikings as a free agent, suffered only a minor injury, the team said.
The Vikings said Joseph was an innocent bystander at the time of the incident, which occurred inside 400 Soundbar just before closing time. The team described Joseph's injury as minor and said he would return to practice sometime this week. He was treated at a hospital and released Saturday.
According to the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, police are looking for a gunman who shot as many as seven people inside the club. Police say the two with serious injuries were in stable condition Saturday and are expected to survive.
"The entire Vikings organization is extremely thankful that Linval was not seriously hurt, and our thoughts are with all of the victims of this shooting," the team said in a statement. "The team will defer any further comment to the Minneapolis Police Department during its ongoing investigation."
The Vikings played a preseason home game Friday night, beating Oakland 10-6. Joseph, who is expected to start for the team at nose tackle, played nine snaps with the Vikings' first-team defense.
He signed a five-year, $31.25 million deal with the team in March, getting $12 million guaranteed to help shore up a porous Vikings run defense that had slipped since the team parted ways with Pro Bowl nose tackle Pat Williams after the 2010 season. Joseph played the first four seasons of his career with the New York Giants.
Information from ESPN.com Vikings reporter Ben Goessling and The Associated Press was included in this report.
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<cite style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 10px !important; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; display: block; color: rgb(171, 171, 171); background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall</cite>Linval Joseph, who joined the Vikings as a free agent, suffered only a minor injury, the team said.The Vikings said Joseph was an innocent bystander at the time of the incident, which occurred inside 400 Soundbar just before closing time. The team described Joseph's injury as minor and said he would return to practice sometime this week. He was treated at a hospital and released Saturday.
According to the Star Tribune of Minneapolis, police are looking for a gunman who shot as many as seven people inside the club. Police say the two with serious injuries were in stable condition Saturday and are expected to survive.
"The entire Vikings organization is extremely thankful that Linval was not seriously hurt, and our thoughts are with all of the victims of this shooting," the team said in a statement. "The team will defer any further comment to the Minneapolis Police Department during its ongoing investigation."
The Vikings played a preseason home game Friday night, beating Oakland 10-6. Joseph, who is expected to start for the team at nose tackle, played nine snaps with the Vikings' first-team defense.
He signed a five-year, $31.25 million deal with the team in March, getting $12 million guaranteed to help shore up a porous Vikings run defense that had slipped since the team parted ways with Pro Bowl nose tackle Pat Williams after the 2010 season. Joseph played the first four seasons of his career with the New York Giants.
Information from ESPN.com Vikings reporter Ben Goessling and The Associated Press was included in this report.
