Vikings Do Right Thing for Udeze

Less than a year ago, the Vikings got plenty of bad publicity when they announced that they were docking the pay of Troy Williamson when he failed to return promptly after attending his grandmother's funeral. Whether it's a case of learning from that experience or just being altruistic, the Vikings deserve a lot of credit for how they're treating Kenechi Udeze.

Udeze, the team's first-round pick in 2004, is battling leukemia. He hopes to be back on the field for the 2009 season, but at this point no one knows when or if he'll ever play football again. When the Vikings placed Udeze on the non-football injury list this week, they told him that they would pay his full $800,000 salary this year, even though they were under no obligation to pay it. By doing so, they've ensured that Udeze will be able to focus fully on his recovery this year, with no financial concerns.

"I just told myself with every day that I go out there, everybody sees that I do the best I can. When I found out the news [of the Vikings guaranteeing his salary] I was kind of taken aback by it. Being in the hospital [while he was receiving treatment] I didn't really ask the kind of question like, 'OK, what's going to happen next?'

The move of putting Udeze on the non-football injury list also ensures that the Vikings will keep his rights if he can return to the field in 2009. By picking up Jared Allen, Minnesota has ensured that it's pretty well covered at defensive end, but Udeze could be a useful complementary piece if he can get back on the field next year. And even that is another piece of good news for Udeze. If he had to go out as a free agent next year, the offers would likely be pretty sparse. Now he'll get a year with the Vikings to prove he's healthy and potentially increase interest in him when he hits free agency for the 2010 season.