Jerome Simpson wasn’t at practice Monday, but he had an excuse. The exuberant Vikings wide receiver was in New York to plead his case in front of the league hoping to avoid a suspension for his 2013 DWI arrest.
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For months now we’ve been wondering what discipline Simpson might face for the November DWI that led to the receiver getting two years probation. ESPN’s Ben Goessling has learned from Simpson’s lawyer David Valentini that Simpson is in in line for a three-game ban, pending the appeal.
Simpson you will recall has been suspended once already in his Vikings career, missing the first three games of the 2012 season after being arrested on a marijuana-related charge. Simpson made it through the 2013 season suspension-free but couldn’t quite last to the end without being arrested.
Such a spotty record might inspire some teams to give up on a player, but the Vikings have shown a willingness to stick behind Simpson, giving him a one-year contract this offseason even knowing that he would likely face suspension.
There has been some discussion about the Vikings potentially cutting Simpson due to uncertainty about his future, but if the Vikings were willing to re-sign him in the offseason even knowing he would be suspended for at least a couple of games, I don’t know why they’d suddenly dump him now.
We await the results of Simpson’s appeal, but it seems probable that he will be suspended for at least two games and likely three. Expect the Vikings to retain Simpson, and expect him to be back in the lineup as the #3 receiver once he is eligible.
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