Report: Jordan Addison arrested for alleged DUI

[VikingsVictorious]

Than he's guilty and should be held accountable in a court of law. I've shared my opinion regarding employers being the ones to impose consequences in great detail previously.

It's not uncommon at all for employers to enforce a code of conduct that goes above what the law deems necessary. The only difference is you'd probably be fired altogether for this kind of thing in the "real world".

I know it's not uncommon. I just think it should be. There's 7 pages of arguments regarding this in the Jeff Gladney Arrested thread. Read those for all the reasoning available.

[Cliff]

It's not uncommon at all for employers to enforce a code of conduct that goes above what the law deems necessary. The only difference is you'd probably be fired altogether for this kind of thing in the "real world".

I know it's not uncommon. I just think it should be. There's 7 pages of arguments regarding this in the Jeff Gladney Arrested thread. Read those for all the reasoning available.

I think it's a case by case basis. Gladney should have got his day in court, his case was more complex. This seems a little more cut and dry. Dude fell asleep at the wheel and was over the legal limit.

[VikingLord]

I know it's not uncommon. I just think it should be. There's 7 pages of arguments regarding this in the Jeff Gladney Arrested thread. Read those for all the reasoning available.

I think it's a case by case basis. Gladney should have got his day in court, his case was more complex. This seems a little more cut and dry. Dude fell asleep at the wheel and was over the legal limit.

I agree. He was literally sleeping in his car blocking the lane of a freeway. If that doesn't pose a direct risk to his life and the lives of others, I don't know what would.

Further, this happened just weeks after one of his teammates was killed by a drunk driver.

Personally, I think Addison has an issue that goes way deeper than football, and after listening to him talk about it with reporters I don't get the sense he's acknowledged it or that he needs to get some help to fix it. He seems to at least accept responsibility for it, but without addressing the underlying issue I'm really afraid for his future.

[VikingsVictorious]

I know it's not uncommon. I just think it should be. There's 7 pages of arguments regarding this in the Jeff Gladney Arrested thread. Read those for all the reasoning available.

I think it's a case by case basis. Gladney should have got his day in court, his case was more complex. This seems a little more cut and dry. Dude fell asleep at the wheel and was over the legal limit.

Yes is seems like a cut and dried case so the legal system should impose appropriate consequences. Why should the NFL pile on?

[VikingsVictorious]

I think it's a case by case basis. Gladney should have got his day in court, his case was more complex. This seems a little more cut and dry. Dude fell asleep at the wheel and was over the legal limit.

I agree. He was literally sleeping in his car blocking the lane of a freeway. If that doesn't pose a direct risk to his life and the lives of others, I don't know what would.

Further, this happened just weeks after one of his teammates was killed by a drunk driver.

Personally, I think Addison has an issue that goes way deeper than football, and after listening to him talk about it with reporters I don't get the sense he's acknowledged it or that he needs to get some help to fix it. He seems to at least accept responsibility for it, but without addressing the underlying issue I'm really afraid for his future.

I'm afraid for him as well, but shouldn't the legal system be the place to address it?

[Cliff]

I think it's a case by case basis. Gladney should have got his day in court, his case was more complex. This seems a little more cut and dry. Dude fell asleep at the wheel and was over the legal limit.

Yes is seems like a cut and dried case so the legal system should impose appropriate consequences. Why should the NFL pile on?

Because they have a code of conduct they want their employees to adhere to, this is how they enforce it, and they agreed to it when they accepted their job. If they don't like it they could always quit and find another job with lower standards.

[VikingsVictorious]

Yes is seems like a cut and dried case so the legal system should impose appropriate consequences. Why should the NFL pile on?

Because they have a code of conduct they want their employees to adhere to, this is how they enforce it, and they agreed to it when they accepted their job. If they don't like it they could always quit and find another job with lower standards.

it is my opinion that all consequences for criminal actions should be imposed by the courts. The legal system has enough power to handle this without any help from other agencies. I know that the NFL has built into their system the ability to pile on. It's my opinion that's not their place and they should keep their noses out of it.

[Cliff]

Because they have a code of conduct they want their employees to adhere to, this is how they enforce it, and they agreed to it when they accepted their job. If they don't like it they could always quit and find another job with lower standards.

it is my opinion that all consequences for criminal actions should be imposed by the courts. The legal system has enough power to handle this without any help from other agencies. I know that the NFL has built into their system the ability to pile on. It's my opinion that's not their place and they should keep their noses out of it.

And it's absolutely fine for you to have your own opinion, and I agree sometimes they can be overzealous. However, with a high profile business like the NFL their employees are in the spotlight. When one of them acts up it reflects directly on the NFL as a whole, so I get it. From my point of view, nobody is holding a gun to their head making them take jobs with the NFL. If someone doesn't like their policies they can decline to take the job.

[VikingLord]

I agree. He was literally sleeping in his car blocking the lane of a freeway. If that doesn't pose a direct risk to his life and the lives of others, I don't know what would.

Further, this happened just weeks after one of his teammates was killed by a drunk driver.

Personally, I think Addison has an issue that goes way deeper than football, and after listening to him talk about it with reporters I don't get the sense he's acknowledged it or that he needs to get some help to fix it. He seems to at least accept responsibility for it, but without addressing the underlying issue I'm really afraid for his future.

I'm afraid for him as well, but shouldn't the legal system be the place to address it?

It depends.

The Vikings, as Addison's employer, retain every right to discipline him and/or release him outright should they so choose as long as they remain within their contractual obligations both to Addison and the player's union. So if the Vikings were to release Addison, sit him for some games, or take whatever other actions they are entitled to take, I wouldn't fault them for doing that.

The legal system of course retains every right to deal with this as a criminal matter, which I believe a DUI offense is considered due to the potential severity of the outcome. But Addison's guilt legally is not a bar the Vikings need to clear to take their own actions (unless that is in their contract with Addison or in the CBA, which I highly doubt the owners would have ever agreed to).

And of course, there is Addison himself and the standard he chooses to hold himself to. Nothing says Addison can't recognize he has an issue and he can choose to take his own actions to get himself into a better place going forward. Granted, this is the least likely outcome as most people will do just about anything but blame themselves when something like this happens, but Addison could use this as a wakeup call. Maybe the Vikings, his friends or family, or someone else he respects could encourage him to go that route before something worse happens.

I don't honestly know what the "right" outcome should be. The legal system will address it regardless of what Addison or the Vikings choose, but I sincerely hope that whatever happens Addison comes out of it with some chance to avoid creating future problems for himself or others. Nothing is sadder than watching a young, promising life or career end early because of things like this. Cris Carter proved that it is possible for a guy with serious issues to get his life on track and have a great career and a great life, but he had to get cut and picked up off the waiver wire first before he got his wakeup call.