Vikings receiver Jordan Addison pleads no contest to lesser charge stemming from drunken driving arrest

Jordan Addison pleaded to a lesser charge Thursday during a hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court stemming from his July 2024 drunken driving arrest.

Online court filings show the Vikings receiver pleaded “nolo contendere,” or no contest, to a charge of wet reckless driving upon a highway.

He was originally charged with driving under the influence and driving with .08% blood alcohol content. Those charges, which Addison pleaded not guilty to in December, were dismissed.

“Wet reckless” is when a defendant acknowledges the reckless driving involved alcohol and/or drugs. No-contest pleas mean defendants do not accept or deny responsibility for the charges but waive the right to a trial and agree to accept the penalty.

“While Mr. Addison’s case would have made for a great trial, I admire him for taking responsibility by accepting the City Attorney’s ‘wet reckless’ offer,” Addison’s attorney, Jacqueline Sparagna, said in a statement. “Now he can put this incident behind him and solely focus on his promising career.”

Addison’s agent, Tim Younger, also posted a statement on X.

“He has kept the [Vikings] apprised throughout these legal proceedings, and will continue in his full commitment to being a valuable member of this team,” the statement read in part.

Addison could face a suspension of three games from the NFL.

“We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review,” a league spokesman said in a statement.

A Vikings spokesperson said the team would withhold comment until the league completes its review of Addison’s case.

As for his court sentencing, Addison will pay a standard $390 fine and is under a 12-month probation. He also has been ordered to take two programs: the MADD Victim Impact Program and a Licensed Driving Under the Influence Program.

Addison was arrested on July 12, 2024, when California Highway Patrol officers found him asleep at the wheel of a Rolls-Royce and blocking lanes of traffic near Los Angeles International Airport.

That arrest was Addison’s second in a year. He was arrested in July 2023 in St. Paul for driving 140 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone on Interstate 94. He agreed to plead guilty to a petty misdemeanor speeding charge.

He has a progress report set for Oct. 29 in Los Angeles, six days after the Vikings play the Chargers on Thursday Night Football and four before they face the Lions in Detroit.

Under the NFL’s policy and program on substances of abuse, players face a three-game suspension for their first criminal offense regarding alcohol, absent of aggravating factors that would lead to further discipline.

This is Addison’s first alcohol- or substance-related conviction, meaning he could avoid harsher punishment from the league. The commissioner could also implement a fine or other form of discipline.

A three-game suspension, if served from the start of the regular season, would see Addison return for the Vikings’ two-week international trip starting with the Sept. 28 game against the Steelers in Dublin.

Addison and other Vikings veteran players report Tuesday for training camp at TCO Performance Center in Eagan.