clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Linval Joseph Will Be Ready For Week One

the free agent defensive tackle acquisition also talks about the night he was shot

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Linval Joseph was one of the marquee free agent signings for the Minnesota Vikings this past off-season. He is a massive man, at around 320 pounds, and was brought in to shore up what has become a porous run defense.

That was almost all taken away in the blink of an eye a few weeks ago.

Hours after the Vikings first preseason game against Oakland, Joseph was one of multiple shooting victims at 400 SoundBar in downtown Minneapolis.

At the time of the shooting, Joseph's injury was described as minor, and was treated and released from the hospital within a few hours. Earlier today, though, he spoke with the press for the first time since the incident, and he revealed that it could've been so much more serious than it was.

For whatever reason, I just assumed that based on the downplaying of the injury at the time, that the bullet just grazed him. It would still be scary, no doubt, but with the bullet passing completely though his leg and doing no major damage, Joseph was very fortunate. A couple of millimeters in any direction, and it could've been season, career, or even life altering. But all indications are that Joseph is okay, and he will be ready to go week one:

Finally, Joseph also spoke about that night, and the other shooting victims, and wished them all well:

We're glad to hear Joseph has recovered, and we wish all victims of that shooting incident a quick and speedy recovery.