Michael Floyd - Pro Football Rumors

NFL Suspends Vikings WR Michael Floyd

July 14th, 2017 at 3:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings will not have Michael Floyd to start the season. The wide receiver has been suspended for the first four games of the 2017 campaign, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Floyd recently completed a stint in house arrest stemming from his DUI conviction. During the house arrest, Floyd failed a drug test for alcohol. The wide receiver blamed kombucha (a fermented tea) for the positive result and the Vikings supported his claim. He received just one day in jail for his infraction, but it will still be a while before he takes the field thanks to the four-game ban.

It was expected that Floyd would serve no less than a two-game suspension for driving while intoxicated. However, the league has gone for an even harsher penalty in light of how drunk he allegedly was at the time of the arrest. NFL policy allows lengthier bans when in cases where a player’s blood alcohol content is above .15. Floyd’s was at .217, a level that put him into Arizona’s “Super Extreme DUI” category.

The Vikings have Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Jarius Wright, and Laquon Treadwell as their top receivers, but Floyd is pushing to make the cut as the WR5 on Minnesota’s depth chart. The one-time Cardinals WR2 faces competition from Isaac Fruechte and late draft picks Rodney Adams and Stacy Coley for a roster spot.

Floyd will be eligible to return to the Vikings’ active roster on Monday, October 2 following the team’s October 1 game against the Lions. Between now and then, he will be eligible to participate in all preseason practices and games.

NFC Notes: Floyd, Cousins, Lions

July 13th, 2017 at 7:48pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Vikings have backed wide receiver Michael Floyd since he violated his probation by testing positive for alcohol last month, after which he insisted that he unknowingly ingested it when drinking kombucha tea. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer spoke about Floyd’s situation Thursday, telling Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press: “Do I believe it? I don’t know how much tea he drank. I have no clue. I don’t have any doubt why there’d be skepticism, but he told me that he wasn’t (drinking). That it was legit.” Zimmer buys Floyd’s story, but he did issue the wideout a warning when the two spoke on the phone after his failed alcohol test. “I said, ‘If I find out you’re lying to me, I’m going to cut you,’ ” revealed Zimmer, whose team will go without Floyd early in the season because of a forthcoming suspension.

A bit more from the NFC:

Both the Redskins and Kirk Cousins are reportedly OK with the quarterback playing 2017 under the franchise tag, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if the club will nonetheless make him a last-ditch offer by Monday’s deadline. The expectation is that Cousins will need at least $52MM in guarantees in order to sign a long-term pact, though Florio suggests that something between that figure and the $40MM the Raiders gave Derek Carr could get Cousins to bite. If Cousins says no, the Redskins could leak the details of the offer and make him “seem greedy and selfish,” writes Florio.
Thurston Armbrister is among Lions linebackers with an on-the-bubble status entering training camp, writes Tim Twentyman of the team’s website. Armbrister wasn’t much of a factor on defense in 2016, his first season as a Lion, as the ex-Jaguar only played 63 snaps and made nine tackles in 14 appearances. However, he was one of Detroit’s key special teamers, racking up the fourth-most snaps (260) for a unit that Football Outsiders ranked as the sixth best in the NFL.
Earlier Thursday, PFR reviewed the offseasons of two NFC teams, the Giants and Eagles.

NFL Held Michael Floyd Hearing Last Week

June 27th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although Michael Floyd escaped a failed alcohol test with only a single-day jail sentence, the new Vikings wide receiver isn’t likely to get off so easy in terms of NFL punishment. The league held a hearing on Floyd’s conduct last week, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, and he’ll face a minimum two-game suspension.

However, Floyd’s league-mandated ban could far exceed the minimum length, reports Florio. For one, Floyd plead guilty to extreme DUI, meaning the NFL could hand down an even harsher penalty, as NFL policy allows lengthier bans when a blood alcohol content is above .15% (Floyd’s was at .217).

Additionally, Floyd’s probation violation could theoretically be considered a second offense, which would put him in line for further punishment. If the league takes such an approach, Floyd could be suspended for eight games (although Florio doesn’t expect that to be outcome).

NFC North Rumors: Vikings, Bears, Packers

June 26th, 2017 at 8:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Vikings wideout Michael Floyd will only receive a one-day jail sentence for violating the terms of his probation, and that fact alone is considered a “huge win,” a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Floyd will also serve the remaining five days of his house arrest, but as Florio writes, Floyd could have conceivably forced to spend more time in jail, either on a revamped or altogether new sentence. The 27-year-old will begin his punishment this evening, meaning he’ll be ready for action by the time training camp rolls around. In a statement, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman indicated the club will continue to support Floyd, who is still expected to be hit with a league-imposed suspension.

Here’s more from the NFC North:

Given that veteran tight end Zach Miller only has one year left on his contract, the Bears could potentially release him this summer in favor of the younger Daniel Brown, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune speculates. Miller, 32, reached career-highs in receptions and yards a season ago despite missing six games with injury. He’s still recovering from the foot ailment that cost him those contests, and if Chicago is worried about his ability to remain healthy, it could conceivably cut bait, saving north of $1.8MM in the process. Free agent signee Dion Sims and second-round pick Adam Shaheen are Bears roster locks, meaning Miller, Brown, MyCole Pruitt, and Ben Braunecker could be competing for one spot.
The Packers had been working on a deal for Lance Kendricks even while talking with other tight ends this spring, and were going to sign Kendricks regardless of whether they agreed to terms with Martellus Bennett or Jared Cook, according to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Bennett was the Packers’ ultimate choice, of course, and finding two tight ends was an offseason goal for head coach Mike McCarthy, who considers TE an exceedingly valuable position in the vein of quarterback or edge rusher.
In case you missed it, Vikings assistant general manager George Paton declined to be interviewed for the Chiefs’ GM vacancy, citing a “variety of reasons.” Paton was also in consideration for the GM positions in Indianapolis and San Francisco earlier this year.

Vikings’ Michael Floyd Gets One Day In Jail

June 26th, 2017 at 3:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Vikings wide receiver Michael Floyd was sentenced to one day in jail for his positive alcohol tests during probation (Twitter link via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com). Floyd’s one-day sentence will begin tonight in Arizona, after which he’ll complete his five remaining days of house arrest (presumably also in Arizona), per Weinfuss.

Arizona prosecutors were gunning for Floyd to serve significant jail time, so today’s news is a big win for the player as well as the Vikings. Floyd, as you probably know by now, argued that his positive tests were the result of drinking kombucha tea. For what it’s worth, the Vikings supported Floyd’s excuse and didn’t use his probation violation as an opportunity to bail on the contract.

The Vikings have Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Jarius Wright, and Laquon Treadwell as their top receivers, but Floyd is hoping to make the cut as the WR5 on Minnesota’s depth chart. The one-time Arizona WR2 faces competition from Isaac Fruechte and late draft picks Rodney Adams and Stacy Coley for a roster spot.

Prosecutors Want Jail Time For Michael Floyd

June 26th, 2017 at 1:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Michael Floyd says that kombucha tea is to blame for his positive alcohol tests during house arrest, but that excuse doesn’t fly with Arizona prosecutors. In Scottsdale, prosecutors say they will ask a judge to hit the Vikings wide receiver with jail time for violating the terms of his probation.

“It appears he’s in violation and he should be ordered to serve the rest of his jail time,” city prosecutor Caron Close told Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press on Monday. “The deal he made really gave him special considerations by letting him transfer out of state to continue his career.”

Floyd served 24 days of a 120-day jail sentence after his February conviction for a DUI. He was allowed to serve out the remainder of the sentence from home, but prosecutors say they are miffed after Floyd violated the terms of his arrangement. The Vikings are supporting Floyd and backing up the fermented tea story, but it remains to be seen whether CEO Kevin Warren‘s letter to the judge will help Floyd’s case.

Floyd‘s one-year deal with the Vikings doesn’t contain any guaranteed money, so the Vikings won’t be on the hook for any portion of the deal if they want to bail. So far, however, they’re standing beside him.

Vikings Support Michael Floyd’s Claim

June 24th, 2017 at 2:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Michael Floyd is blaming his positive alcohol tests on kombucha tea and, somewhat surprisingly, the Vikings seem to be backing up his story. Vikings CEO Kevin Warren has passed along a letter to be used in Floyd’s upcoming court appearance which may help to explain Floyd’s situation.

“I am writing to request Mr. Floyd not have his court mandated requirements negatively impacted since he did not know the kombucha he ingested contained alcohol,” Warren wrote in the letter.

Floyd says that he unknowingly ingested alcohol when he was drinking the tea with teammate Kyle Rudolph. The Vikings are helping to back up Floyd’s claim in part because they recommend their players drink it as part of a health regimen. The Vikings even have the drink on tap at their practice facility in Winter Park.

There has been speculation that the Vikings could cut ties with Floyd because of his non-guaranteed contract, but all in all it sounds like the Vikings want to stay in business with the talented wide receiver.

“In closing, since Michael has joined our team, he has displayed a strong work ethic, a compliant attitude and professionalism,” Warren wrote.

Latest On Michael Floyd

June 17th, 2017 at 10:33am CST by Ben Levine

We learned yesterday that embattled Vikings wideout Michael Floyd tested positive for alcohol during his house arrest, which could lead to jail time. Later, the player’s agent released a statement defending his client (via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter on Facebook):

“Michael Floyd started his 96-day home monitoring on March 13, 2017. During this time period, Michael was tested a minimum of six times per day. For the first 90 days, Michael’s blood alcohol content was 0.0 for all of his 500 plus tests.

On June 10, 2017, Michael watched movies at his place of residence until 3:00 a.m. During that time, he drank several bottles of kombucha tea drinks, unaware that the drinks contain alcohol.

On June 11, 2017 at 5:30 a.m., Michael was tested and his blood alcohol content was .055. Michael was tested again at 5:54 a.m. and his blood alcohol content was down to .045. Michael was tested again at 6:23 a.m. and his blood alcohol content was .044. He then went back to sleep and missed a test at 6:33 a.m.

Michael was five days away from the end of his home monitoring. Prior to and after this incident, Michael has not had any alcohol whatsoever since the start of his home monitoring. Unfortunately, the kombucha teas that Michael did drink resulted in a positive blood alcohol content reading. As a result, the Court wishes to hear from Michael on June 26. At that time, Michael will have an opportunity to explain how this unfortunate test result happened.”

Floyd was originally supposed to have an alcohol-detecting ankle bracelet, but he agreed to random breathe tests in order to have the device removed. Between the 11th and 12th of June, these tests came up positive for alcohol five separate times, with three of those occasions being categorized as “high alcohol tests.” Of course, this stems from Floyd’s arrest last year for a “super extreme DUI” in Arizona.

After having compiled at least 800 receiving yards over the previous three seasons, Floyd took a noticeable step back in 2016. The wideout hauled in 37 receptions for 488 yards and five touchdowns. His one-year deal with Minnesota doesn’t contain any guaranteed money, so the organization can easily cut bait with Floyd if he receives further punishment.

NFC Notes: Floyd, Cousins, 49ers, Eagles

June 16th, 2017 at 5:16pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Vikings wide receiver Michael Floyd is fighting back against a report that he violated his house arrest rules by testing positive for alcohol, telling Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press: “Totally false. The whole thing is false. You can’t believe everything TMZ says.” Floyd, who had completed 91 days of his 96-day house arrest sentence as of Monday, is due in court June 26.

His agent, also named Brian Murphy, released a statement Friday, part of which says (full statement here via ESPN’s Adam Schefter):

“On June 10, 2017, Michael watched movies at his place of residence until 3:00 a.m. During that time, he drank several bottles of kombucha tea drinks, unaware that the drinks contain alcohol.

On June 11, 2017 at 5:30 a.m., Michael was tested and his blood alcohol content was .055. Michael was tested again at 5:54 a.m. and his blood alcohol content was down to .045. Michael was tested again at 6:23 a.m. and his blood alcohol content was .044. He then went back to sleep and missed a test at 6:33 a.m.”

Vikings’ Michael Floyd Fails Alcohol Test

June 16th, 2017 at 11:33am CST by Zachary Links

This could spell trouble for Michael Floyd. The Vikings wide receiver tested positive for alcohol during his house arrest this week, according to TMZ Sports. The violation of house arrest rules could result in jail time.

Floyd’s alcohol monitoring system flagged five events during June 11th and 12th. At least three of those events were characterized by a rep for the Scottsdale City Court as “high alcohol tests.” Per the terms of his deal, Floyd was forbidden from drinking any alcohol while confined to his home. Meanwhile, the wide receiver claims that the positive tests were caused by drinking Kombucha, a fermented tea with a very low percentage of alcohol.

Floyd petitioned the court to remove his alcohol-testing ankle bracelet because he said it would hinder him while training. The court obliged, but required that Floyd instead undergo random breath tests. Those breath tests unearthed his alleged alcohol consumption and, on top of that, Floyd apparently skipped one of the scheduled tests.

In 2016, Floyd was cuffed in Arizona for a “super extreme DUI,” leading to his release from the Cardinals. The receiver was quickly claimed by the Patriots, but New England made little effort to retain him. Despite all the baggage surrounding him, the Vikings signed him in May.

Floyd‘s one-year deal with the Vikings doesn’t contain any guaranteed money, meaning that Minnesota can part ways with the troubled receiver without any financial penalty.