Rookie Corner Injured

Rookie cornerback Charles Gordon was making an impression on coaches and teammates during the early stages of training camp. But he suffered a serious setback Thursday, injuring his knee and leaving his status in doubt.

It's never easy for undrafted rookies to make an impression on the coaching staff. With veterans in front of them and a limited number of roster spots available, making the team is never an easy proposition.

Rookie cornerback Charles Gordon was one of those players. A three-way athlete out of Kansas, where he played cornerback, wide receiver and punt returner, Gordon was turning heads of both the coaching staff and his veteran teammates.

But that all took a serious turn Thursday as Gordon went down with an injury. While the severity of the injury was not immediately known since the new regime doesn't feel obligated to discuss player injuries, the training staff was trying to flex and straighten Gordon's knee and he was taken off the practice field on a cart.

When further information is made available, VU will pass it on, but the early prognosis doesn't look good for Gordon.

FRIDAY NOTES
* Tickets are still available for tonight's scrimmage with the Chiefs at Mankato. The evening will mark the return of Michael Bennett, who was traded earlier this week by the Saints to the Chiefs once New Orleans got second overall draft pick Reggie Bush signed.
* A four-man officiating crew was in Mankato Thursday to discuss with players and coaches new rules changes and points of emphasis. The most significant change (and the most difficult to likely enforce) is going to be the new interpretation of down by contact. In the past, players have been instructed that, when the whistle blows, they stop. But, under the new interpretation, instant replay reviews will include fumbles that occur before the whistle blows and turnovers can take place. This will be a difficult rule to enforce because players have become so engrained about stopping when they hear a whistle that the new interpretation is likely to be the cause of some controversy.