X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Will Jordan Addison Be Suspended? Latest Updates Addison's Legal Troubles

Jordan Addison - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Frank breaks down the legal process for Minnesota Vikings WR Jordan Addison after his arrest in July. Will he be suspended and is he worth drafting in 2024 fantasy football?

All too often we hear about young NFL players making poor decisions in the offseason, and despite serious and sometimes tragic consequences (i.e. Henry Ruggs III), it never seems to get any better. This year, we saw Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice flee the scene of an accident he caused when he was racing a Corvette and a Lamborghini at speeds that reached 119 mph. Now, we have Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison, who was arrested on suspicion of Driving Under the Influence ("DUI") on July 12, 2024, and who has now been officially charged with DUI in the State of California.

Addison was also in the news last offseason when he was pulled over for going 140 mph in a 55 mph zone. He told officers that he was driving that fast because of an emergency with his dog, but due to my experience as a defense attorney, I can confidently say that he was probably lying. He eventually pled guilty to a misdemeanor speeding violation, had the reckless driving charge dismissed, and paid upward of $600 in fines. This time around, however, Addison does not have many excuses that will suffice as he was found asleep at the wheel inside of a Rolls Royce that was stopped in the middle of an offramp near the LAX airport.

After some investigation at the scene, Addison was arrested upon suspicion of DUI. The police report stated that Addison was found in a white Rolls Royce "blocking a lane of I-105 westbound to Sepulveda Boulevard northbound." The report also stated that he was found asleep behind the wheel. A few weeks later on August 5, 2024, Addison was charged with Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Driving Under the Influence with a Blood Alcohol Content ("BAC") of .08% or higher. The bad news is that this all but confirms that Addison was intoxicated due to the added charge of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol with a BAC of .08% or higher. Prosecutors would need an accurate BAC reading to have probable cause to charge him under this statute. Let's break down some more details below and how it could affect his 2024 season.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

The Charges

The Vikings sophomore was charged with the following:

California Vehicle Code 23152(a) - It is unlawful for a person who is under the influence of any alcoholic beverage to drive a vehicle.

California Vehicle Code 23152(b) - It is unlawful for a person who has 0.08 percent or more, by weight, of alcohol in his or her blood to drive a vehicle.

The first charge is a DUI catch-all because it hinges not on the driver's BAC, but on their ability to operate the vehicle. This means that a driver can be convicted of DUI even if the alcohol test results are 0.08% or lower.

Conviction of a DUI with a legal BAC is usually due to a failed field test (walking a straight line, standing on one foot, etc.) or strong circumstantial evidence of impairment such as swerving on the road, slurred speech, a strong odor of alcohol on the breath, and most relevant here, being asleep behind the wheel.

The charge is a subjective standard as it relies solely on the officer's observations.

The second charge is specific to the driver's BAC and makes clear that the state has the BAC results and that it was not within the legal limit. This is an objective standard as the only requirement for this charge is a BAC reading over .08%.

We still have not seen a report as to the exact BAC reading for Addison, but we know it was at least higher than .08%. Despite both charges, when it comes to plea bargaining or conviction of these offenses, they merge and are treated as one singular DUI offense.

 

Relevant Facts

When it comes to charging for a DUI, there are two main elements that the state must prove to get a conviction: 1) the defendant was operating the vehicle, and 2) the defendant was impaired at the time.

The proof of these elements also turns on state law as some states require proof of actual operation, whereas other states will accept circumstantial evidence of operation, or even proof of intent to operate the vehicle (such as being asleep in the car with the keys on you or in the ignition).

In the case of Addison, it is pretty clear that he was operating the vehicle as he was found asleep behind the wheel in the middle of an offramp. I am unable to come up with a scenario where he would be found like this and not be the operator of the vehicle.

I practice in New Jersey, and this would be more than enough to prove operation; however, I can't speak matter of factly as to California.

As to impairment, assuming the state has a BAC reading above .08%, that is all they need to prove impairment. Of course, there are ways to challenge the accuracy of the BAC reading and the police procedures, but for our purposes, we assume that the evidence they have is valid.

Additionally, being asleep in the middle of an offramp is strong circumstantial evidence of impairment. In short, assuming valid evidence, I'd say the state has enough to get a conviction for DUI, which will likely lead to Addison agreeing to a plea deal.

 

Potential Penalties

Critical to any penalties are Addison's driving history and the actual BAC reading that the prosecution has. First-time DUI offenses are treated much more leniently than second- and third-time offenses and rarely result in jail time.

As far I can tell, this would be Addison's first DUI, so he'd be facing a max penalty of 3-5 years probation, mandatory attendance at DUI educational classes for 3-9 months, six months license suspension with an interlock device installed for another six months after he gets his license back, and up to six months in jail (rare).

The BAC reading also weighs heavily on any potential penalties as a BAC reading of .15% or higher is an aggravating factor warranting increased penalties. Other aggravating factors that are not relevant to this case are the speed the vehicle was traveling, whether there was a minor in the car, whether there was an accident, and whether there were any injuries reported.

 

Will He Be Suspended?

The main question on everyone's mind is will Addison be suspended by the NFL for this incident? The answer, however, is two-fold as he will likely be suspended for three games, eventually, but it is highly unlikely that a suspension will be imposed this year.

Historically, the NFL usually waits for the courts to handle a matter before issuing any subsequent suspensions to the player. Currently, Addison's next court date is his arraignment on October 7, 2024. This will be where Addison pleads guilty, or more likely, not guilty, and the date strongly suggests that this matter will not be resolved this year.

The next question is why three games? The short answer is that the NFL has a new substance abuse policy that imposes a mandatory three-game suspension on first-time offenders if there are no aggravating circumstances.

Section 2.2, Violation of Law Involving Alcohol, reads "The Commissioner will review and may impose a fine, suspension, or other appropriate discipline if a Player is convicted of or admits to a violation of the law relating to the use of alcohol. Absent aggravating circumstances, discipline for a first offense will be a suspension without pay for three (3) regular or postseason games."

The specific language in this section is critical to any analysis of Addison's penalties as it is highly unlikely that the WR admits to driving under the influence of alcohol. Therefore, NFL discipline will only come if he is convicted of a violation of law relating to the use of alcohol.

This specific language also supports the position that the NFL will not impose any penalties until the courts have adjudicated the matter fully. It is certainly possible that Addison's attorneys can work out a plea deal that drops the DUI charge and has Addison plead guilty to reckless driving, in which case he would likely not be suspended at all.

The takeaway from all this is that while Addison could eventually be suspended for three games, the courts will likely not resolve this matter before the end of the year. Thus, any suspension by the NFL would not be imposed until next year.

Fantasy managers should not be concerned about Addison's availability heading into their drafts over the next couple of weeks; however, they should be concerned about his fantasy production catching passes from Sam Darnold all year.

Whether managers trust Addison or they don't is completely up to them; however, his recent charges for DUI should not factor into the equation this year.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kyle Stowers26 mins ago

Sitting Against Southpaw
Jake Rogers33 mins ago

Plays Catch On Monday
Triston McKenzie45 mins ago

Designated For Assignment
Rob Brantly55 mins ago

Placed On 10-Day Injured List
Noelvi Marte1 hour ago

Starting Again On Monday
Kerry Carpenter1 hour ago

Testing Hamstring On Monday
Cody Bellinger2 hours ago

Productive In Win Over Rays
Juan Soto2 hours ago

Doubles, Knocks In Three
Andrew Vaughn2 hours ago

Notches Third Homer
Jake Bloss3 hours ago

Posts Best Outing Of The Season
Francisco Lindor3 hours ago

Collects Three Hits, Homers
Steven Kwan3 hours ago

Blasts Fourth Homer
Blade Tidwell3 hours ago

Strikes Out Nine On Sunday
Jordan Lawlar3 hours ago

Tallies Three Hits, Adds Home Run On Sunday
Shalin Polanco3 hours ago

Showing Power At High-A
Yanquiel Fernandez3 hours ago

Goes Deep Twice On Sunday
Chase Burns4 hours ago

Promoted To Double-A
Kyle Manzardo5 hours ago

Goes Yard On Sunday
Sam Huff5 hours ago

Goes Deep On Sunday
Zach Neto6 hours ago

Hits His First Long Ball Of The 2025 MLB Season
Fernando Tatis Jr.6 hours ago

Belts His Eighth Home Run Of The Season
Auston Matthews6 hours ago

Finishes Game 1 With Two Assists
Mitchell Marner6 hours ago

Totals Three Points In Postseason Opener
Matt Boldy6 hours ago

Bags Two Goals In Losing Effort
Brett Howden6 hours ago

Scores Twice In Sunday's Win
Logan Stankoven7 hours ago

Nets Two Goals In Game 1 Victory
Brenden Dillon7 hours ago

Makes Early Exit Sunday
Cody Glass7 hours ago

Injured In Game 1 Loss
Jayden Daniels20 hours ago

Focused On Improving In 2025
Isaiah Stewart20 hours ago

Iffy For Monday Night
Aaron Gordon20 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Game 2
Gabriel Vilardi21 hours ago

To Remain Out For Game 2
Logan Thompson21 hours ago

Could Be An Option Monday
Martin Fehérváry21 hours ago

Martin Fehervary Iffy For Game 1
Tanner Jeannot22 hours ago

Remains Week-To-Week, Out For Game 1
Zeev Buium22 hours ago

Makes NHL Debut In Playoff Opener
Anthony Stolarz22 hours ago

Makes First Career Postseason Start
Oliver Ekman-Larsson22 hours ago

Good To Go Sunday
1 day ago

Washington Hosts Tre Harris
NFL1 day ago

Will Johnson Visits With Seattle
NFL1 day ago

Devon Key Sticking With Denver
Yegor Sharangovich1 day ago

Recovering From Broken Foot
Rasmus Andersson1 day ago

Played With Broken Fibula
Semyon Varlamov1 day ago

Expects To Be Ready For Next Season
Owen Power1 day ago

Avoids Surgery
Rasmus Ristolainen1 day ago

May Miss Start Of Next Season
Evander Kane1 day ago

Close To Being Cleared For Action
Kyle Connor1 day ago

Caps Off Three-Point Effort With Game-Winner
Jaylen Brown2 days ago

Not Expected To Be Limited On Sunday
Irv Smith2 days ago

Houston Re-Signs Irv Smith Jr.
Ja Morant3 days ago

Cleared To Play Friday
Brandon Williams3 days ago

Available Against Grizzlies
Anthony Davis3 days ago

Will Play Friday Night
Gary Trent Jr.3 days ago

Available For Game 1 Against Pacers
Taurean Prince3 days ago

Returns To Bucks Lineup Saturday
NFL3 days ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Waived With Non-Football Injury
Isaiah Stewart3 days ago

To Return For Game 1
Ausar Thompson3 days ago

Available For Game 1
Rui Hachimura3 days ago

On Track To Play Saturday
Austin Reaves3 days ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL3 days ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić3 days ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
LeBron James3 days ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard3 days ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
NFL3 days ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant3 days ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Lauri Markkanen3 days ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL3 days ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Bennedict Mathurin3 days ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Pascal Siakam3 days ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Tyrese Haliburton3 days ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham3 days ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
NFL3 days ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Irv Smith3 days ago

Sticking With Texans
NFL3 days ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch3 days ago

Returning To Cardinals
Mark Andrews3 days ago

Could Be Traded Soon
NFL3 days ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
3 days ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Rome Odunze3 days ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
NFL3 days ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
James Cook3 days ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Jake Tonges4 days ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos4 days ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Ryan Blaney4 days ago

Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol
Lucas Glover5 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger5 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka5 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas5 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele5 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Austin Dillon5 days ago

Nabs His First Top-10 Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
Maverick McNealy5 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry5 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris5 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland5 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns5 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala5 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai5 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre5 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge5 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap5 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley5 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick6 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay6 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth6 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa6 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa6 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF