Despite Vikings' request, Panthers player Greg Olsen to serve as TV analyst Sunday

Here is your "tempest in a teapot" Vikings controversy for the week: Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, who has been on injured reserve since early in the season after breaking his right foot, will serve as a TV analyst for Fox during its broadcast of the Vikings' showdown with the 7-2 Rams on Sunday.

The Vikings, apparently fearing that Olsen will gain access to a lot of information about them in the process, reportedly requested that Olsen be reassigned to a different game. The Vikings play the Panthers on Dec. 10 in a game that could have major playoff implications. Olsen is eligible to return from injured reserve before that game.

Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the request to have Olsen moved off of the Vikings' game on Sunday was denied. Fox Vice President of Communications Eddie Motl released a statement saying, in part, "we fully respect the Vikings' concerns and will limit the amount of pregame access allowed to Greg."

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was asked Monday if he had any issue with Olsen working the broadcast. He sidestepped the controversy, saying, "I don't know, I'm going to let higher ups than me handle that."

Expect everyone to forget about this … at least for another month. At that point, if the Panthers defeat the Vikings, expect a lot of conspiracy theories.