Vikings WR Simpson arrested on DWI suspicion
By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Pro Football Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jerome Simpson was being held without bail Saturday after he was arrested overnight on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, a trooper responded to a report of a stalled vehicle in the lane on Interstate Highway 394 heading west out of downtown Minneapolis. As Simpson got out of a red Dodge Charger, the trooper observed him with watery eyes and slightly slurred speech. Simpson said he was at the Pour House, a popular bar nearby, but denied that he'd been drinking.
After Simpson took field sobriety tests, according to the State Patrol report, he was arrested at 4:03 a.m. local time. Simpson was booked about an hour and a half later at the Hennepin County jail, where he refused to take a breath test.
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The Vikings beat Washington on Thursday, so players have the weekend off. The Vikings issued a statement acknowledging their awareness of the situation.
"We are continuing to gather information and will have further comment at the appropriate time," the statement said.
Simpson is on his second one-year contract with the team after playing his first three NFL seasons in Cincinnati. There, he spent 15 days in jail for a felony drug conviction tied to a tow pound marijuana shipment to his home in Kentucky, where authorities said they found another pound of the drug inside the house in September 2011. His sentence included three years of probation.
The NFL suspended him for three games last year for violating the league's substance abuse policy. League spokesman Randall Liu said Saturday that Simpson's case will be reviewed.
Simpson leads the Vikings with 491 yards receiving this season, but the 27-year-old has yet to score a touchdown in 21 regular-season games with the team. His productivity this year is the primary reason coaches have cited for their minimal use of first-round draft pick Cordarrelle Patterson.
Patterson, who had his first career scoring reception in the 34-27 victory over the Redskins on Thursday, plays the same split end spot as Simpson.
The Vikings (2-7) play next at the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 17.
