Lost in the recent Jared Allen/John David Booty horn-blowing hysteria in Minnesota is the fact that a major question mark still hovers over the franchise — the status of left tackle Bryant McKinnie following a February arrest in Miami.

We’re hearing persistent rumors that the Vikings are preparing for the possibility that they’ll begin the season without McKinnie, due to a suspension. 

One month from today, McKinnie stands trial on various charges, the most serious of which is that he played tennis with a bouncer’s head as the ball, and a metal pole as the racket. 

McKinnie previously pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct due to his, um, actions on the Love Boat.

It’s possible that McKinnie has been summoned to meet with the Commissioner even before his trial, for a review of the situation pursuant to the Personal Conduct Policy.  However, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello declined to provide information as to McKinnie’s case, citing normal league policy.  “We do not generally comment on the timetable or other details of a specific review, including what steps the commissioner may or may not take,” Aiello recently told us via e-mail.

Although the Commissioner normally doesn’t take action under the Personal Conduct Policy until the underlying case is resolved, the policy plainly states that this approach applies only in the event of a “first offense,” and to cases that don’t involve “significant bodily harm.”  We don’t know whether the bouncer suffered “significant bodily harm,” but since it clearly wasn’t McKinnie’s first offense, the policy permits the league to impose discipline based on its own investigation, with or without a prior conviction or guilty plea.

Chase Johnson is listed as McKinnie’s backup on the team’s online depth chart.  They did not add any tackles in the draft.  (A prior version of this item indicated that they selected Carl Nicks in round five.  I was looking at the wrong team at the time.  Sorry about that.)