Minnesota Vikings star charged with DUI, could face NFL suspension

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison has been formally charged with two misdemeanors nearly a month after he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving near Los Angeles International Airport.

Addison, 22, was charged on July 31 with driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood-alcohol content (BAC) above California’s legal limit of .08 percent, according to the Star Tribune. The charges stem from a July 12 incident where police found Addison asleep at the wheel of his white Rolls-Royce and blocking lanes of I-105 westbound near LAX Airport.

Addison has a court appearance on Oct. 7 to be arraigned and enter his plea for the charges. If convicted, he faces a maximum of six months in jail, having his driver’s licenses suspended for six months, or monetary fines up to $2,000.

In addition to legal repercussions, Addison could also face a three-game suspension from the NFL. The league’s policy and program on substances of abuse, specifically regarding alcohol, reads: “Absent aggravating circumstances, discipline for a first offense will be a suspension without pay for three (3) regular or postseason games.”

“Whatever’s out there for me, whatever comes with it, I’ll own up to everything,” Addison, the Vikings’ first round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, said at team training camp in July. “I feel like anything that comes my way is meant to happen or is deserved.”

In July 2023, Addison was cited for driving 140 mph on I-94 In St. Paul, Minnesota. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor speeding charge, with a dismissed charge of reckless driving, and paid $686 in fines.

In his rookie season for the Vikings in 2023, Addison recorded 70 catches for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns, along with one carry for two yards.