MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison was suspended for three games by the NFL on Tuesday for violating the league's personal conduct policy for a drunken driving case last year.
Addison avoided a trial by pleading no contest to a lesser charge last month, after facing two misdemeanor DUIs for his arrest on July 12, 2024, when a California Highway Patrol officer found him asleep in his vehicle that was blocking a lane on an interstate exit near Los Angeles International Airport.
Addison will be permitted to practice and play in exhibition games before the suspension kicks in for games against Chicago, Atlanta and Cincinnati.
Addison, the 23rd pick of the 2023 draft, has 19 touchdowns and 1,786 receiving yards in his first two seasons to form a dominant duo with two-time All-Pro Justin Jefferson. But he was arrested for excessive speeding the week before training camp of his rookie year, and the drunken driving arrest last offseason came after another dangerous off-the-field decision. Addison was contrite and remorseful upon reporting to training camp last year, praising the Vikings for their support after he said he was in a “dark place” after the arrest.
Without Addison for the first three games, new starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy will need to lean on depth wide receivers such as Jalen Nailor, rookie Tai Felton and newcomer Rondale Moore if he's ready to play following his ACL rehabilitation. Tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver and running back Aaron Jones also figure to be vital options during Addison's absence to help keep defenses from keying more heavily on Jefferson than they already do.
Addison, who finished his college career at USC after starting at Pittsburgh, matched Odell Beckham Jr. for the fourth-most touchdown receptions in league history by players before their 23rd birthday. Randy Moss (28), Rob Gronkowski (27) and Ja’Marr Chase (22) were the only ones with more.
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