The Vikings now know how long they'll be without Michael Floyd to start the season.
Floyd has been suspended four games without pay for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, the league announced Friday. It's a harsher punishment than the standard two-game suspension for a drunken driving conviction, but the collective bargaining agreement gives the commissioner discretion for "aggravating circumstances," such as extreme intoxication.
Floyd was found unconscious at the wheel of his car in December when he registered a .217 blood-alcohol content, nearly three times the legal limit. The Arizona Cardinals released him two days later.
The St. Paul native is expected to report July 26 to Vikings training camp along with the other veterans. Floyd can play in preseason games, but he won't be eligible for the Vikings active roster until Oct. 2.
Barring an appeal and assuming he makes the team, the suspension will cost Floyd about $335,000, including nearly $273,000 in base salary and another $62,500 in per-game roster bonuses. He signed a one-year, $1.4 million contract with nothing guaranteed in May.
This comes on the heels of Floyd's recent one-day stint in jail after a judge found him in violation of his house arrest terms for testing positive for alcohol. The former Cretin-Derham Hall star had already spent 24 days in jail this spring after pleading guilty to extreme DUI in February. He was nearing the end of his 96 days under house arrest when he failed three breath tests and missed another on the early morning of June 11.
Floyd's agent, Brian Murphy, said his client consumed "several bottles" of Kombucha tea while watching movies at teammate Kyle Rudolph's house, where he's been staying since returning to Minnesota. Murphy added Floyd had passed "500-plus" tests prior to the failures and had missed the one test because he'd fallen asleep.
"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," Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman said in a statement after Floyd's latest court ruling. "We believe Michael will be a productive member of the Vikings organization, both on and off the field."
The Vikings signed Floyd in May knowing he faced a suspension for his drunken driving arrest. He participated throughout the offseason program with the second-team offense, lining up at split end behind receiver Laquon Treadwell.