Per ESPN.com ... Shane Vereen, of course, is the brother of Gophers senior DB Brock Vereen:

The New England Patriots on Tuesday placed running back Shane Vereen on injured reserve with a designation to return, a move that means he won't be eligible to play again until a Week 11 matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

Teams can designate one player on IR that is eligible to return before the end of the season. League rules stipulate that player cannot practice with the team for six week and can't return to game action for eight games.

In Vereen's case, that means he can't return to the practice field until Monday, Oct. 21 and can't be in uniform until at least the Week 11 game in Carolina. He would have been eligible to play the week before, but the Patriots have a bye in Week 10.

Vereen injured his wrist early in Sunday's game and had surgery Monday.