Judge continues McKinnie case

Vikings offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie had his criminal case continued again Friday during a hearing in Miami-Dade County Court.

McKinnie, who faces four charges -- including one felony -- stemming from a brawl outside a Miami nightclub, has his next court date Sept. 24. McKinnie has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his attorney said he remains hopeful that his client can avoid a trial.

McKinnie's attorney, Larry Kerr, asked the state of Florida to allow his client to enter a pretrial diversion program that could lead to the charges being dismissed. Kerr said Friday that the judge gave both sides more time to try and resolve that issue. Kerr said McKinnie does not have to be in court for the Sept. 24 hearing.

"Both parties still desire to resolve this case by the pretrial diversion," Kerr said. "The judge gave us more time so that we can dot all our I's and cross all of our T's."

McKinnie, who met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this month, also is subject to disciplinary measures from the league as a repeat offender of the league's conduct policy.

Defensive end Kenechi Udeze, who was diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia in February, told KFAN's Dan Barreiro on Friday that he will undergo a bone marrow transplant early next month.

Appearing live on Barreiro's show, Udeze sounded upbeat and said he's already prepping for the transplant. He will undergo the procedure with his older brother, Thomas Barnes, who is a 100 percent match.

"I'm going in with the biggest no-worry look on my face," Udeze said.

Udeze said post-transplant recovery time ranges from two to six weeks. He said he's not allowed to exercise or travel right now, but he continued to express a positive attitude.

"Right now I'm doing pretty good," Udeze said. "I'm actually getting tired of people asking me how I'm doing because I know I'm going to be all right, and I want everybody to start thinking the same way."

Udeze told reporters in April that he hopes to play football again, but he told Barreiro that his illness has put things into perspective.

"I promise you I love football, but you really look at things for what they are," he said.

"The game is going on without me. Football, I love it to death. But I don't need football. That's something I came to realize through this whole process."

Udeze said he keeps in frequent contact with coaches and teammates. He spent about an hour talking to defensive end Ray Edwards in the locker room Friday.

The Vikings waived wide receiver Justin Surrency and running back Arkee Whitlock on Thursday.

The team can carry only 80 players on the roster going into training camp, so the Vikings need to make room for draft picks they will attempt to sign next month.