The Vikings took a fairly big gamble with how they handled Chris Cook and the allegations that he assaulted and attempted to strangle his girlfriend, causing him to miss a game against Green Bay while he was jailed for the incident.
Recently, Cook was acquitted of all charges and the Vikings appear ready to get him back on the field.
“We are very excited about getting Chris Cook back,” Rick Spielman said, “not only to help us on the football field, but we think Chris Cook is a very good person, and we really believe that he’s moving on and going to be a better person.”
“We’re pleased that this has all come to a resolution, and now we’re looking forward to what Chris has learned, and he’s looking forward to moving on,” Spielman said. “I know he’s grown from this experience. He was very proactive in doing some things and making sure that he’s going to be not only a better football player but a better person as well.
“Sometimes you have to go through some hard lessons to give you a wake-up call, if there was a wake-up call. But you go through some tough times sometimes, and sometimes coming out of those situations really makes you a stronger and better person.”
Cook is no stranger to misconduct. His Draft stock took a hit when he was suspended at Virginia for academic reasons. In May of 2011, a Virginia judge cleared him of any wrongdoing resulting from an incident in which he was accused of brandishing a firearm. He latest acquittal ended with rumors that he was celebrating the “victory” at the same strip club that he visited the night the allegations were made.
Spielman sounds hopeful that his third year player will finally get his act together, but the pattern emerging here is not only more obvious, but growing incrementally more serious. Cook has shown fans of the Vikings no reason to believe he is a changed man, other than shaving his dreadlocks, so hopefully behind closed doors at Winter Park he has really given Spielman and Frazier true reasons to place trust in him again.
If not, they may be short handed at cornerback on Sunday again in the near future.
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For His and the team's sake, I hope this is the last we read about him. Other than him playing good...
Me too Charlie but honestly I think the kid is a punk and will be in trouble again. It was pretty obvious he was guilty as hell and got off the hook as happens all to often.
Johnny,
Yeah it doesn't look good when you get off the hook and go back to the strip joint to celebrate.
Not too smart...
Boy I hope they draft Matt Kalil at the 3rd pick and don't trade down !
I don't know if you could describe him as 'a very good person", seems like a bit of a stretch, Rick!
SB,
I thought that comment Rick said was a little whacked myself lol...
well...we need him at cb...we have noone else...i hope for his sake and the teams sake hes turned a new leaf..if he hasnt and does something stupid again we need to cut our loses.
WTF,
We need to use a couple picks at CB this year for sure...