Monday Is Quietly an Important Day for Vikings
At least per the scheduled date announced this summer, Monday, October 7th, is rather important for the trajectory of the 2024 Minnesota Vikings — or the 2025 club.
Monday Is Quietly an Important Day for Vikings
Monday is Jordan Addison’s court date in California. On August 6th, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweeted, “Jordan Addison gets an Oct. 7 court date, and formal charges, for driving under the influence of alcohol near LAX in July. Potential for a 3-game NFL suspension, absent ‘aggravating circumstances,’ per league policy.”
And for readers of this article on Monday — that’s today. It’s unclear if Addison will appear via video call, as his team just finished a game across the Atlantic Ocean. Otherwise, Addison would have to race home today and tend to his affairs, which is certainly possible.
Most expect Addison to plead guilty and subsequently face a three-game suspension. That could arrive in the 2024 season or be delayed until 2025. Stay tuned.
On July 12th, Addison was arrested near Los Angeles International Airport for suspicion of DUI while asleep in his Rolls-Royce that blocked a lane of freeway traffic. The infraction was Addison’s second in 12 months.
And according to Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, alcohol was indeed a factor in Addison’s arrest. “Addison was charged on July 31 with driving under the influence of alcohol, and driving with blood-alcohol content over California’s legal limit of .08 percent, after officers found him asleep behind the wheel of a white Rolls-Royce blocking lanes of a highway near the airport,” Goessling wrote in August.
Goessling added, “He has an Oct. 7 appearance in Los Angeles court to be arraigned and enter his plea for the charges. If he is convicted or pleads guilty, he could face up to six months in jail, pay fines up to $2,000 or lose his driver’s license for up to six months.”
Addison reemerged at Vikings training camp in late July, ready to learn from the mistake, accept his impending consequence, and move on. “Whatever’s out there for me, whatever comes with it, I’ll own up to everything. I feel like anything that comes my way is meant to happen or is deserved,” Addison told reporters.
Two days before, Vikings leaders Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell expressed disappointment in Addison, generally speaking, but preached support for the 22-year-old.
“We’re disappointed in Jordan. We care about these players. We really do. We want to make sure we’re doing our part for the development on the field,” O’Connell said on July 22nd. “The other aspect of that is the off-the-field, the life skills, and the development of decision-making and learning how important it is within our culture — which we’re very proud of — that our players understand personal responsibility and accountability.”
Addison has dealt with two ankle injuries this season on top of his legal woes but otherwise helped Minnesota sprint to a 5-0 start.
If suspended this season, the Vikings will lean heavily on WR3 Jalen Nailor in his absence. Tight end T.J. Hockenson, too, will return in the next two games.
Addison was also cited for reckless driving in July 2023, though no suspension materialized.
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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. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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