Vikings support Michael Floyd after failed test gets him another day in jail

Receiver gets one more day in jail, five days of house arrest for positive alcohol tests.

June 27, 2017 at 5:58PM
Receiver Michael Floyd during Vikings offseason workouts.
Receiver Michael Floyd during Vikings offseason workouts. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

An Arizona judge on Monday ruled Michael Floyd violated the terms of his house arrest by testing positive for alcohol earlier this month, but Floyd was sentenced to only one day in jail, and the Vikings issued a statement of support for their new wide receiver.

The St. Paul native also is required to complete the final five days of his house arrest, which he will be allowed to do in Arizona or Minnesota.

Floyd was due in court at the Scottsdale City Court at 3:30 p.m. Monday, but he and his attorney opted to do the hearing with Judge Statia Hendrix over the telephone.

Under the terms of his house arrest following his February guilty plea for extreme DUI in Arizona in December, Floyd is not allowed to consume any alcohol.

His court-ordered alcohol monitoring noted three failed tests and a missed test between 5:30 a.m. and 6:33 a.m. on June 11, per police records obtained by the Star Tribune. Floyd was at the house of tight end Kyle Rudolph, his former Notre Dame teammate, who let Floyd stay with his family after he joined the Vikings.

Floyd said the failed tests were the result of him drinking kombucha tea, a fermented beverage that can contain up to 0.5 percent alcohol when properly stored. Floyd told the court that he was unaware the tea contained alcohol.

But the court ruled that Floyd violated the terms of his house arrest.

The Vikings encourage players to drink kombucha for its probiotic benefits.

General Manager Rick Spielman issued this statement: "When we signed Michael Floyd, we hoped he would show signs of improvement and we continue to expect that he shows progress and a professional attitude. We believe Michael will be a productive member of the Vikings organization, both on and off the field. Pursuant to the ruling of the Arizona Court earlier today, Michael will serve the remainder of his sentence and we expect him to be with the team at the start of training camp in Mankato when the players report on July 26."

At the time of the failed tests on June 11, Floyd still was serving a 120-day sentence, the first 24 of which were spent in jail. The remainder of his sentence was house arrest, with random breath tests administered at a minimum of six times a day.

At the time of the failed tests, Floyd had less than a week left of the court-ordered 96 days of house arrest, which the court transferred from Arizona to Minnesota last month so he could practice with the Vikings shortly after signing May 10.

The former Cretin-Derham Hall star signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract. None of the salary is guaranteed, so the team could cut him with no salary cap ramifications. The 6-2, 220-pound receiver usually practiced with the second-team offense this spring, behind Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Laquon Treadwell.

Floyd still remains subject to league discipline following his December arrest.

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Matt Vensel

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