Vikings rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison made a seriously reckless mistake last week when he was cited for driving 140 miles per hour in a 55 MPH zone. Addison told the cops an emergency with his dog was the reason he was speeding, but that's not an excuse for putting his life and other lives in danger.
Since the incident, which took place in the middle of the night last Thursday, Addison has undoubtedly had conversations with a wide range of people in his life — people who have helped hammer home the message that this is something that can't ever happen. Among those are his head coach and general manager.
"Both Kwesi and myself have talked with him multiple times since," Kevin O'Connell said on Tuesday. "I was disappointed. It was a mistake, and I think he's owning that mistake and knows that that's something that can't happen again. ... The big thing for me, talking to Jordan, was let's learn from it. Let's make sure we're moving forward the right way and I think he's got a good perspective on owning it, taking responsibility."
O'Connell said Addison did mention the dog reasoning to him, but that he made it clear there's no excuse for ever driving as fast as he did.
"What I was focused on was making sure he knew that it was a serious thing," O'Connell said. "He needs to make sure he understands exactly what he did wrong. Understanding that no matter what the "why" may be, things like that can't happen again."
The Vikings drafted Addison in the first round this year both because of his talent as a receiver and who they believe he is as a person. That hasn't soured because of this one mistake. If Addison learns his lesson and never repeats the mistake, the focus can return to football. O'Connell mentioned that he's glad Addison is in a position room where he can learn — not just about football, but also life in the NFL — from coach Keenan McCardell and teammates like Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn, and Jalen Nailor.
Addison isn't going to face any NFL punishment for this incident. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah declined to comment on whether or not there has been any sort of internal punishment or fine. He also reiterated, as O'Connell did, that he still believes in Addison as a person and player.
"Jordan, throughout the draft process, impressed us with the type of person he is," Adofo-Mensah said. "Obviously, he made a mistake, but what you see after the fact was, from his representatives to his family who reached out to me — this kid was raised right. He knows that he made a mistake and everybody in his life is aligned to make sure this was a one-time occurrence."
Addison is healthy and ready to go for the start of training camp on Wednesday. We'll see if he speaks to reporters about the incident soon.
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