Berrian Says He Still Wants To Be With Vikings
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Bernard Berrian remained on the roster, the day after he was a healthy scratch for the second time in three games.
But coach Leslie Frazier didn't make any promises that his frustrated wide receiver would still be with the team later this week. Berrian met with Frazier on Monday and said they'll be talking again Tuesday.
"We'll make a decision about how we want to handle things going forward," Frazier said, declining to specify his reason for benching Berrian against Green Bay. He added: "We're going to have a little meeting of the minds, and see where we are."
Berrian said he learned he'd be on the sideline when he arrived at the stadium Sunday, and Frazier acknowledged Berrian was originally in the lineup.
"We did it based on some of the things that had happened," the coach said.
Berrian said he still wants to be with the Vikings, pointing to his willingness to take a pay cut for this season as proof, but he acknowledged he has "no idea" whether he'll be kept around. Berrian hasn't scored a touchdown, excluding the preseason, since Nov. 22, 2009. This year, he has just seven receptions for 91 yards.
Citing Frazier's request to keep the details private, Berrian wouldn't provide any information on the situation or offer much of his feelings about it. He said he's tried to put the controversies about his playing time, attitude and performance in the past.
"But one way or another, something comes up," Berrian said.
After a strong first season in Minnesota, his career "just kind of went downhill from there," he said. Brett Favre arrived in 2009, and Berrian never clicked with his new quarterback.
Berrian said he believes he's the same player he was in 2008 and that he actually feels like he's faster now. Backup quarterback Donovan McNabb said Frazier's decision "was kind of shocking" to him but that he still considers Berrian a "great" player.
"He's been through it. He'll bounce back for this week and be ready to go," McNabb said.
Berrian isn't the only player whose status is uncertain. Cornerback Chris Cook remained in the county jail Monday after an alleged domestic assault over the weekend.
"I don't think any of us in the organization are pleased when one of our players is arrested for anything," Frazier said. "The fact that one of our players is in jail, it's a disappointment. It's something that we'll have to deal with as we find out more information."
Wide receiver Percy Harvin, who missed the second half of Sunday's game because of bruised ribs that have bothered him off and on all season, was scheduled for an MRI test to make sure the injury isn't worse. Frazier said it was too soon to tell whether he'd be able to play this week at Carolina.
Another starter, right guard Anthony Herrera, hurt his surgically repaired left knee. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament last year, and Frazier said this injury is related to that. Herrera was sent for a second medical opinion.
Cornerback Antoine Winfield is still iffy because of a neck problem, but on the positive side for the Vikings, safety Jamarca Sanford and center John Sullivan are expected to return this week after missing Sunday's game due to concussions.
Defensive end Brian Robison is in for an anxious week, too, after his kick between the legs of Green Bay offensive lineman T.J. Lang during an after-whistle scuffle. Robison said he was sorry again Monday and didn't mean to hit him in such a sensitive area. Lang accepted the apology through his Twitter account.
"It's something that he doesn't want out there. It's not an image he wants to portray. Nor do we as a team. So he's conscious of it. He's apologized. He's told me that it will never happen again," Frazier said.
Robison said he's never been penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct in his entire career, at any level. But he's expecting a fine from the NFL. He has already been beaten up in the court of public opinion.
"By the time I got on there, there were already like 500-something mentions. I'd say probably 87 percent of them were Packer fans, telling me how much of a piece of (junk) I am," Robison said.
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