The Minnesota Vikings are at the mercy of the National Football League's personal conduct policy when it comes to the potential discipline of wide receiver Jordan Addison. He was charged with two counts of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in the state of California stemming from an arrest on Friday, July 12th.
One of the tough parts about the personal conduct policy is that any potential discipline waits until any investigation has concluded. The NFL also conducts its own in-house investigation to find out what happened. Here is what the personal conduct policy states about an investigation
Whenever the league office becomes aware of a possible violation of the Policy, it will undertake an investigation, the timing and scope of which will be based upon the particular circumstances of the matter. Any such investigation may be conducted by league office personnel, independent parties, or a combination of the two. In cases that are also being investigated by law enforcement officials, the league will continue its separate investigation, and will work to cooperate with law enforcement to avoid any conflict or interference with the law enforcement proceedings.
What makes things difficult for the Vikings is knowing when a suspension comes down because a lot of things have to happen.
Why Zay Jones' suspension matters for Jordan Addison
On Friday afternoon, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Zay Jones was suspended for five games due to a violation of the personal conduct policy. Jones had the charges dropped but the NFL still found enough evidence to levy the suspension.
Having the charges dropped is important to note when it comes to Addison's potential suspension. Even if the charges are dropped, the NFL can still levy a suspension. Here is what the personal conduct policy states.
Players convicted of a crime or subject to a disposition of a criminal proceeding (as defined in this Policy) are subject to discipline. But even if the conduct does not result in a criminal conviction, players found to have engaged in any of the following conduct will be subject to discipline.
This is now Addison's second moving violation during his short NFL career. Last offseason, Addison was caught driving 140 mph on Interstate 94 in the Twin Cities. Now, he is facing two counts of DUI. If they strike a plea deal with the state of California or if the charges get dropped completely, the NFL can still suspend Addison based on their own investigation.
What we do know about the incident is that Addison was found blocking a lane on the interstate outside of LAX International Airport asleep at the wheel. He failed an on-site DUI investigation and was arrested on suspicion of DUI. Addison was released two hours later.
The Vikings are likely going to be without Addison at some point but when the possible suspension gets handed down is currently unknown. He is set to appear in a Los Angeles court on August 7th, the day after the Vikings take on the New York Jets in London, England.
