Linval Joseph was still the new kid on the Vikings block four years ago, still the somewhat anonymous defensive tackle with the big contract the night he nearly lost it all.



He had just finished playing his first preseason game with his new teammates when several of them told him they were headed to a club in downtown Minneapolis to unwind. The 400 Soundbar was just a six-minute drive from his house and Joseph was looking forward to a little bonding time with a team he was still getting to know.



“In 10 minutes, it went from having a shot and chilling with my friends to everybody screaming and hearing bullets flying,” Joseph said. “It was a crazy night.”



Before he became a two-time Pro Bowler, before he solidified himself as the anchor of one of the league’s best defenses, before many in the Twin Cities even really knew his name, Joseph had his career, and his life, flash before his eyes.



He was an innocent bystander when...