LONDON — After warming up with his teammates on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, receiver Jordan Addison didn’t play a snap in the opening 15 minutes of the game between the Vikings and the Cleveland Browns.
Asked about the decision, head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed that Addison was briefly benched for missing a walkthrough this week.
“Those types of things aren’t in alignment with our standards,” O’Connell said. “I wanted to make sure he was held accountable for that. I thought he handled it professionally. He spoke with the team to let them know that whenever I gave him the opportunity to go in the game they could count on him.”
As he stood there on the sideline, Addison admitted he wasn’t sure how long he was going to be held out. He tried to stay ready as best he could, pacing around with his helmet on throughout the first quarter, then finally walking into the huddle at the start of the second quarter.
“I owned up to it and kept it moving,” Addison said. “My mindset was, ‘Shoot, whenever I get out there, I’ve got to make a play.”
He did. In the final seconds of the game, Addison caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from veteran quarterback Carson Wentz, putting the Vikings up once and for all in the 21-17 win over the Browns.
“I never like letting my teammates down,” Addison said. “They’re always there for me, so I’m going to make sure I’m always there for them.”
Though he was there when his teammates needed him most, Addison also understands that he has to be better for his teammates moving forward. He can’t put the Vikings in a position where they have to play without him.
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_
This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. [Learn more about the news services FCC uses here.](/policies-and-standards#nobyline)