Vikings buy some time with Cook decision

The Minnesota Vikings have come back to work after their bye week and so have I.

The big news today is the Vikings have kept cornerback Chris Cook on the 53-man roster, but are keeping him suspended while he is facing assault charges for allegedly beating and strangling his girlfriend.

I think this was the right move by the Vikings. You can make a good argument for releasing Cook, but barring a guilty verdict and jail time, Cook is going to play football sometime in 2012. So why shouldn't it be with the Vikings?

I admit this is a selfish view – the Vikings don't have a whole lot of good cornerbacks on their roster and Cook looks like he could be one. So keeping him on the team, as bad as these charges appear to be, would mean the Vikings have one less spot to fill on the roster.

But again, Cook's probably going to play football in the NFL next season. The Vikings drafted him. They've invested money, coaching and time in him. Now they have to make another investment.

There's no need for Cook to play again this year. He's better off getting whatever professional help a guy who's been accused of two violent incidents in less than 12 months can get. Yet if the U.S. is the land of second chances, shouldn't Cook get one with the Vikings?