The Vikings released a statement saying they were aware of safety Jayron Kearse’s arrest early on Sunday morning and head coach Mike Zimmer made his first comments about it on Wednesday.
Kearse was pulled over by police and arrested after failing field sobriety tests. He has been charged with carrying and possessing a pistol without a permit (a gross misdemeanor), carrying a pistol while under the influence of alcohol, operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration of .08 or above within two hours and careless driving.
Cornerback Mike Hughes was a passenger in the car and the police report said he was throwing up outside the vehicle “due to his level of intoxication.” Zimmer referenced both players in a response that made his displeasure with the incident quite obvious.
“I’m very, very ticked off,” Zimmer said, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “Since I’ve been here the last six years, I’ve worked extremely hard to clean up the reputation of this organization, this team off the field. We’ve put in a lot of resources for them to not have these kind of issues, and for them to do that is really idiotic.”
Zimmer said any discipline for Kearse is a league matter, although the legal process will likely play out before the NFL takes any action.
