A possible suspension of Jordan Addison could depend on the details of his arrest

On Sunday evening, news broke that Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Los Angeles on Friday night. While the public awaits more details on the matter, it’s worth noting that the specifics of Addison’s arrest – namely, whether or not alcohol was involved – could impact any potential punishment he faces from the Vikings or the NFL.

According to the police report, Addison was found asleep behind the wheel of a white Rolls Royce blocking one lane of westbound I-105 to northbound Sepulveda Boulevard near Los Angeles International Airport. He was arrested at 11:36 p.m. PT and released from custody exactly two hours later at 1:36 a.m.

Notably, the police report did not include any information about Addison’s blood alcohol content. The lack of these details, along with his relatively quick release from custody, led to speculation that his blood alcohol content may not have exceeded the legal limit of .08 – and that marijuana may have played a role. The Star TribuneBen Goessling discussed this with Eric Nordquist on KFAN Radio on Monday.

“I think your point about driving under the influence is a good one, though, in that the police report doesn’t talk about blood alcohol content,” Goessling said. “I think the police report said there was a suspicion of driving under the influence. If it was something edible or something similar and not alcohol, that would be legal in California. So that could change the whole thing, too.”

Things were looking very bad for Addison when the news hit social media on Sunday. For starters, this is the second summer in a row that the Vikings’ 2023 first-round draft pick has been involved in a traffic-related incident. Last July, he was charged with speeding and reckless driving after he was caught doing 140 mph in a 55 mph zone on I-94 in Minnesota just after 3 a.m. Addison, who told the officer who pulled him over that he was speeding because of an emergency involving his dog, eventually pleaded guilty to a minor speeding violation.

Second, this incident occurred just a week after Addison’s teammate Khyree Jackson, a recent draft pick of the Vikings, was killed in a car crash in Maryland along with two of Jackson’s high school teammates. The car Jackson and his teammates were in was struck by another vehicle that attempted to “change lanes at a high rate of speed,” according to the July 6 investigation. Police said alcohol may have been involved in the fatal crash, but no charges have yet been filed.

The combination of his previous arrest and the timing of Jackson’s tragic death puts this latest incident in a pretty bad light for 22-year-old Addison. “We are aware of the arrest of Jordan Addison last Friday and are currently gathering additional information regarding the incident,” the Vikings said in a statement Sunday.

Addison was not penalized by the Vikings or the NFL for his speeding incident last July and had a stellar rookie season with 911 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. If alcohol played a role in his arrest Friday, he could face a suspension. Driving under the influence of marijuana is also illegal, but if alcohol was not involved when Addison fell asleep at the wheel, that could impact how strictly the Vikings and NFL view the situation.

“If it’s alcohol … I think the precedent for that is (a suspension of) three games and the optics of that are obviously really bad right now,” Goessling said on KFAN. “You don’t want people driving under the influence of anything. And falling asleep at the wheel is not good at all. … I’m not quite sure what the legality of all of that is if it’s not alcohol and it’s something like that. It’s definitely something to keep an eye on. But regardless, with this being the second time this has happened, I think the Vikings and probably the NFL probably need to do a little more than we saw last year. Just the fact that this is two summers in a row is going to be hard for everybody to ignore, I think.”

This story will continue to develop. Addison is the Vikings’ No. 2 receiver behind Justin Jefferson as the team prepares for training camp and the 2024 season.