Cornerback Chris Cook has been suspended indefinitely by the Minnesota Vikings after he was charged with felony assault. Cook was charged on Tuesday with felony domestic assault by strangulation in an incident with his girlfriend that left her bloodied:
The team issued a statement late Tuesday announcing the suspension and describing the allegations as "very disturbing and disappointing" but declined to comment further "until the appropriate time."
Cook is suspended without pay and has been released on $40,000 bail. He is facing up to 3 years in jail and a $5,000 fine, while state guidelines call for a year and a day in jail. Cook has been the Vikings' best cornerback so far on the season, but he missed Sunday's game while in jail for the incident that occurred early on Saturday. The penalty for strangulation was upgraded to a felony by the Minnesota State Legislature in 2005, and as a result Cook is facing a much stiffer penalty.