Last week, Vikings coach Brad Childress was coy regarding the illness that knocked receiver Percy Harvin out of practice for Thursday and Friday.
Word eventually emerged that Harvin was suffering from migraines.
A week later, Chilly came clean.
The head coach said Wednesday that the Vikings did “extensive due diligence” regarding the situation prior to picking Harvin in the first round of the 2009, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Per the Star Tribune, Harvin attempts to control the migraines with medication as soon as they start, but there’s an unpredictability that applies. Also, the Vikings have been “proactive” in helping Harvin seek improved treatment for the prevention and control of the migraines.
That’s fine. Great, actually. But they did Harvin a disservice last week by doing nothing to knock down speculation arising from his third illness since May, which ranged from swine flu to a marijuana-induced stupor.
Of course, the marijuana theories arise from a report -- unrebutted by Harvin or his agent -- that Harvin tested positive for the substance at the Scouting Combine in February. But if that positive test landed Harvin in the league’s substance-abuse program, he’s surely not smoking anything other than bubble gum cigarettes now, since he’s subject to multiple unannounced tests, each and every month.
So against that background, Childress should have acknowledged the problem last week. Failure to do so only triggered new doubts about Harvin.
Which, of course, were erased with his one-cut dash to the end zone as part of a 101-yard kick return on Sunday.