Vikings first-round pick Jordan Addison enters concussion protocol

Minnesota Vikings’ first round pick Jordan Addison entered the concussion protocol, his head coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Wednesday afternoon. Addison could return as early as Monday, so he should have plenty of time left before the Vikings’ season-opener in a few weeks.

The former Biletnikoff Award winner is expected to play a massive role this season with Minnesota, after the team drafted him to play on the opposite side of superstar wideout Justin Jefferson.

Addison had an off-the-field issue this offseason, as he was caught speeding 140 miles per hour in a Lamborghini.

According to the citation report, Addison claimed he was speeding in order to get home to his dog that was in an emergency situation.

“Driver stated his dog was having an emergency at his residence and that was the reason for his speed,” reads the citation. It also says he was “consciously disregarding a substantial or unjustifiable risk.”

Following the incident, it’s unclear whether Addison’s excuse was genuine or not, but either way, the NFL rookie put out a statement accepting responsibility for his actions.

“Yesterday morning I made a mistake and used poor judgment,” Addison said through his agent, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “I recognize and own that. I am going to learn from this and not repeat the behavior. I am truly sorry.”

Addison caught for reckless driving ahead of first training camp

The former USC standout was caught on video driving 140 miles per hour in a 55 mph zone. He was driving on I-94 in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to Minnesota State Police incident data.

Troopers performed a traffic stop, identifying the driver of the Lamborghini with dealer plates as Addison. He received a citation for speeding and reckless driving around 3:07 a.m.

The Vikings released a statement after reports of the citation came to light but have not addressed the incident further.

“We are aware of last night’s traffic incident involving Jordan Addison and are gathering additional information,” the statement read, via Rapoport.

Addison began his collegiate career at Pittsburgh, where he elevated his game from a pass-catcher with tremendous potential, to one of the top wide receivers in all of the country. He captured the Biletnikoff Award in his final season with the Panthers, where he caught 100 passes for 1,593 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns.

Afterwards, almost every school in the country was in search of his services, with NIL deals to spare, but the USC Trojans won out. While it took him a bit to adjust to Lincoln Riley’s offense, Addison still put up impressive numbers during his lone season in Los Angeles, amassing 59 receptions for 875 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns in 2022.

Coming out of high school, Addison was a four-star recruit who was the No. 234 overall player in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

On3’s Steve Samra and Nikki Chavanelle also contributed to this article.