MANKATO -- Backup offensive tackle Kevin Murphy is OK after leaving the field because of heat-related symptoms and being taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, coach Leslie Frazier said after practice today.
Murphy left the field with a wet towel over his head during yet another day in the 90s. He was placed in a cold tub and tended to by the Vikings' athletic trainers. The trip to the hospital was for precautionary reasons.
Frazier also had good news for what originally appeared to be a serious injury to safety Eric Frampton. Frampton went up for a ball against receiver Stephen Burton during an 11-on-11 team drill. Frampton landed hard on his left shoulder. Burton then fell hard on Frampton.
Frampton stayed down, in obvious pain, as he took his helmet off. He was taken off the field on a golf cart and missed the rest of practice. But Frampton said he was OK as he walked off the field after practice. Frazier said Frampton got the wind knocked out of him.
Frazier also said he hasn't received news from the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam on offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz. Schwartz missed practice today so he could return to the Twin Cities to have an "abdominal strain" checked out. Schwartz missed all of last season with the Panthers because of a hip injury. A league source confirmed that Schwartz has been diagnosed with a sports hernia.
