Jordan Addison went from villain to hero for the Minnesota Vikings in London.
The wide receiver was benched for the first quarter of Sunday’s Week 5 win against the Cleveland Browns, before he caught a 12-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left to lift his team to a 21-17 victory.
Addison scored the game-winning TD on Sunday, but was initially benchedGettyVikings coach Kevin O’Connell revealed postgame that Addison had missed a walkthrough practice last week, while the team were based at Hanbury Manor in Hertfordshire.
Minnesota players and staff stayed around 20 miles away from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London, having played the NFL‘s first-ever Ireland game against the Pittsburgh Steelers the week before.
Despite sitting out the first quarter on Sunday, Addison went on to catch five passes for 41 yards, and featured heavily in the game-winning drive.
Following the win, O’Connell explained his decision to bench the 23-year-old, noting Addison’s behavior.
Vikings coach sends strong message with Addison bench decision
“He missed a walkthrough this week; those types of things aren’t in alignment with our standards,” the Vikings HC told reporters postgame.
“I wanted to make sure he was held accountable for that.”
O’Connell went on to praise Addison’s response to his punishment, and noted that he later apologised to teammates and reassured that they can ‘count on him’ in the critical moments.
“He handled it professionally, he spoke with the team to let them know that, whenever I give him the opportunity to go into the game, they can count on him — and he makes the game-winning catch,” O’Connell explained.
“I love Jordan Addison. He’s a guy I care about tremendously. He knows every guy in that locker room has his back.
“He knows I will not waver in my confidence and belief in him, but at the same time, we’ve got standards.
By benching Addison, O’Connell sent a strong message to his entire teamGetty The wideout later apologised to teammates for missing a walkthrough in LondonGetty“Personal responsibility and accountability are huge if you want to talk about culture, so that’s what happened there.”
While Addison took responsibility for his actions, star wide receiver Justin Jefferson later pledged to be a ‘stronger mentor’ to his young teammate, and revealed the pair had words after the incident.
Jefferson vows to ‘do better’ as mentor after Addison benched in London
“It’s a difficult situation,” the four-time Pro Bowler said after seven catches for 123 yards.
“I definitely had my words with JA. But it’s all about growing up and just being a part of the team and knowing mistakes and knowing that he’s a valuable part of the team.
“It’s more about the team and more about just us as a whole, not focusing individually on JA.
“But for him to come out with that going on and still be able to make plays out there, and finishing the game with a touchdown to get us up, it was like it was meant to happen.
Jefferson has vowed to be a ‘better’ mentor to Addison after his benchingGetty“He’s a great player. He’s a tremendous talent.
“I’ve just got to do better at keeping him under my wing and making sure that he has his head on straight.”
O’Connell’s decision to bench Addison for missing a walkthrough sent a very strong message, not only to the young wideout, but to the rest of his team as well.
Addison responded in the perfect way, and Jefferson made it clear he has his back, which will no doubt be important as the 3-2 Vikings look to fight back in a very competitive NFC North division.
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