Training camp is supposed to be about installing schemes and building chemistry, not explaining a DWI plea to reporters. But that's exactly where the Vikings find themselves with defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander, who was suspended for 3 weeks without pay after a drunken driving arrest back in April finally worked its way through the legal system.
Adam Schefter broke the suspension news, tying it directly to the DUI arrest and citing ESPN's Adam Schefter and Kevin Seifert's reporting.
Vikings DBs coach Gerald Alexander was given a 3-week team suspension following his drunken driving arrest. Story via @SeifertESPN: https://t.co/1aePEN3bhZ
The backstory here is rough. Police found Alexander passed out behind the wheel at an intersection in Edina at 4:01 a.m. on April 26. A preliminary breath test put his blood alcohol concentration at.169 -- more than twice the legal limit in Minnesota -- and he refused a follow-up chemical test after his arrest. That refusal and the underlying charge finally resolved on July 16, when Alexander pleaded guilty to third-degree DWI, a gross misdemeanor. He was hit with $603 in fines, 48 hours of community service, and 2 years of unsupervised probation.
Alexander is a first-year hire in Minnesota, which makes the timing especially brutal. He signed on in February as the Vikings' defensive passing game coordinator and DBs coach, reuniting with defensive coordinator Brian Flores after working under him in Miami and Pittsburgh. He was brought in to replace Daronte Jones, who left to become Washington's defensive coordinator -- so this is supposed to be the start of a new chapter for Minnesota's secondary, not a scandal before a single preseason snap.
Instead, the suspension runs from July 24 through August 13, meaning Alexander misses a meaningful chunk of camp right as the Vikings are trying to nail down roles in a defensive backfield that's central to Flores' aggressive scheme. In a statement, Alexander owned it fully: "I take full responsibility for the situation I put myself in and apologize for not meeting the mark."
It's not a Belichick-level program disruption, but losing a position coach for close to 3 weeks during install season is real cost, not just PR cleanup. Expect the Vikings to lean on other defensive staff to cover DB meetings until Alexander is back on the field on August 13, with his return timed just before the roster crunch of final preseason cuts.