The Vikings preseason schedule will include games against Houston and Tennessee at the Metrodome, and a nationally televised game at San Francisco. Exact dates and times for all those game will be released later.

The only date set is for the 49ers game, which will be Sunday, Aug. 25, and be televised by NBC (Ch. 11) at 7 p.m.

The game against Houston at the Metrodome will be either Aug. 8, 9 or 10. The following week the Vikings will play at Buffalo on either Aug. 15, 16 or 17, and they will close out the preseason against Tennessee at the Metrodome on either Aug. 29 or 30.

Washburn AD under scrutiny

Minneapolis Washburn athletic director Dan Pratt is under investigation for a "private personnel matter," the Minneapolis Public Schools confirmed this week.

Although details of the investigation are private, athletes and others in the school community say it involves whether proper procedures were followed last year in the ordering of a new scoreboard for the school's athletic field when artificial turf was installed.

Others familiar with the matter say the scoreboard price exceeded $100,000 and an issue has been raised whether Pratt obtained proper authorization for the order.

Pratt's defenders say that the cost of the scoreboard was not budgeted in the project that replaced the field surface.

The new field was funded with help from the Twins' ballpark sales tax funding and school board spending. That left Pratt to raise money for the scoreboard.

The school's new turf football field was supposed to include the new scoreboard, but it was never installed after a neighbor complained to the Minneapolis City Council about its placement slightly outside the fence surrounding the field.

Pratt, out of town this week coaching the school's softball team in Florida, declined to comment on the investigation. Principal Carol Markham-Cousins couldn't be reached for comment.

JASON GONZALEZ, STEVE BRANDT