Jordan Addison Clears the Air
Minnesota Vikings rookie wideout Jordan Addison was charged with reckless driving Thursday morning after traveling 140 MPH in a 55 MPH zone in the Twin Cities.
The franchise used the 23rd overall pick on Addison in April’s draft, and the young playmaker is tentatively scheduled to replace Adam Thielen sooner or later.
Jordan Addison Clears the Air
But Thursday’s development was obviously a horrendous start for the 21-year-old, and now Addison will hope to atone for the infraction and move forward.
And Friday evening, he released a statement professing his intention to do just that. Addison said the following, “Yesterday morning I made a mistake and used poor judgment. I recognize and own that. I am going to learn from this and not repeat the behavior. I am truly sorry.”
Before the Addison statement, the Vikings, as a team, released the following acknowledgment, “We are aware of last night’s traffic incident involving Jordan Addison and are gathering additional information.”
Addison missed all of minicamp in June — so, two days — with a minor injury and hopes to bounceback at training camp on Sunday. Now, of course, that bounceback is twofold, recovering from the undisclosed injury and resetting the court of public opinion.
Minnesota has big plans for Addison, who is scheduled to battle for the WR2 job this month and next. In March, the Vikings released Thielen after a decade of service, Thielen landed with the Carolina Panthers, and veteran wide receiver K.J. Osborn was on tap for WR2. Then, Addison became the 1st-Round draft choice, and before too long, he should swipe Thielen’s old job.
Leading up to the draft, the Minnesota Vikings reportedly had men like Hendon Hooker, Joey Porter Jr., Deonte Banks, Bryan Bresee, and Brian Branch on their 1st-Round draft radar. But when the time came to pick with the 23rd selection, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stayed put with no trades, said no thanks to a defensive player, and chose a wide receiver with documented production at Pittsburgh and USC.
He totaled 3,134 receiving yards in college and 29 touchdowns in three seasons. The man has the production. He’s 5’11” and 170 pounds — you know, smallish — but does command targets and should receive those on gamedays in a Vikings pass-happy offense.
In March, before the draft, Addison told NFL Network’s Rich Eisen one of the first things he planned to do after signing his rookie contract was get a ‘fast whip.’ He evidently effectuated that promise to the extreme and must get back to common-sense basics.
Vikings offensive lineman Oli Udoh was also cited for a third reckless driving charge in May, according to KSTP.
Addison is expected to be at Vikings training camp on Sunday.
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Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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