MCKINNIE WAS SURPRISED BY SUSPENSION

The Vikings had to struggle through their four games without starting left tackle Bryant McKinnie, who was suspended for an offseason street brawl in which he allegedly hit a nightclub bouncer in the head with a pole. McKinnie is back with the team. He says he had a “really good” meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell, and McKinnie was surprised by the suspension. McKinnie also generally professes his innocence. “The thing was blown completely out of proportion,” he told Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, adding that his status as a football player contributed to the zeal with which the matter was pursued. Still, McKinnie is facing a felony charge, and the case is scheduled to go to trial in early 2009. If convicted, McKinnie could end up in jail.