Potential Jordan Addison suspension could depend on arrest details

Addison's potential punishment from the NFL or the Vikings could depend on the details of his arrest.

Oct 23, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) runs with the ball as San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) pursues during the game at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports / Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

News broke on Sunday evening that Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison was arrested in Los Angeles on Friday night on suspicion of DUI. As the public waits for further details on the matter, it's worth noting that the specifics of Addison's arrest — namely, whether alcohol was involved or not — could impact a potential punishment coming his way from the Vikings or the NFL.

According to the police report, Addison was found asleep behind the wheel of a white Rolls Royce that was blocking a lane of I-105 westbound to Sepulveda Boulevard northbound 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 on Addison's blood alcohol content. The absence of that detail, combined with his relatively prompt release from custody, has led to some speculation that his BAC may not have exceeded the .08 legal limit — and that marijuana could potentially have been a factor. The Star Tribune's Ben Goessling discussed that with Eric Nordquist on KFAN Radio on Monday.

“I think the point you made, though, about DUI, is a good one in the sense that the arrest report does not talk about BAC content," Goessling said. "Suspicion of DUI, I believe, was the language in the arrest report. If it was an edible or something and not alcohol, that's legal in California. So that may change all of the nature of this, too."

The optics of the situation were very bad for Addison when the news hit social media on Sunday. For starters, this is the second consecutive summer in which the Vikings' 2023 first-round draft pick has been involved in a driving-related incident. Last July, he was cited for speeding and reckless driving after being caught traveling 140 MPH in a 55 MPH zone shortly after 3 a.m. on I-94 in Minnesota. Addison, who told the state trooper who pulled him over that he was speeding because of an emergency with his dog, wound up pleading guilty to a petty misdemeanor speeding charge.

Secondly, this incident occurred just a week after Addison's teammate Khyree Jackson, a recent Vikings draft pick, was killed — along with two of Jackson's high school teammates — in a car accident in Maryland. The car carrying Jackson and his teammates was struck by another vehicle that was attempting "to change lanes while driving 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 been filed yet.

The combination of his previous arrest and the timing of Jackson's tragic passing make this latest incident look quite bad for the 22-year-old Addison. "We are aware of Jordan Addison’s arrest this past Friday and are currently gathering more information regarding the incident," the Vikings said in a statement on Sunday.

Addison wasn't punished by the Vikings or the NFL for last July's speeding incident, and he went on to have a stellar rookie season with 911 receiving yards and ten touchdowns. If alcohol was a factor in his arrest on Friday, a suspension could be on the way. Driving while under the influence of marijuana is also illegal, but if no alcohol was involved in Addison falling asleep behind the wheel, it could impact how severely the Vikings and the NFL view the situation.

"If it's alcohol ... I think the precedent for that is (a suspension of) three games and the optics of it obviously are really bad at the moment," Goessling said on KFAN. "You don't want people driving under the influence of anything. And falling asleep at the wheel, not good at all. ... I'm not entirely sure how the legality of all of that will go if it's not alcohol and it is something like that. It's certainly something worth watching. But regardless, this being twice now, I think there's going to have to probably be a little more from the Vikings, and probably the NFL, than we saw last year. Just the fact that this is two summers in a row is going to be kind of hard to ignore for everybody, I think."

This is a developing story. Addison is the Vikings' No. 2 receiver behind Justin Jefferson as the team prepares for training camp and the 2024 season.