Very few people may ever know the full story behind Michael Floyd’s positive alcohol test in June that led to a one-day jail sentence and may have contributed to his eventual four-game suspension handed down by the league.
The Minnesota Vikings adamantly defended Floyd, saying that his positive test stemmed from the consumption of fermented Kombucha, an alcoholic tea that the team recommended to its players.
Floyd was living with Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph, his former college teammate, at the time and reportedly drank the Kombucha while watching movies at Rudolph’s house on June 11.
“It definitely was surprising,” said Rudolph of the situation. “I spent a lot of time with him throughout [the] month he had been living here, but it all worked out.”
Floyd was being monitored for alcohol consumption after serving a 24-day jail sentence following an extreme DUI in which he registered a blood-alcohol level of .217. It was believed upon his acquisition that moving back to Minnesota, his native state, and living with a good friend in Rudolph would create a support system that could eliminate any temptation to relapse.
Floyd was five days away from being done with home monitoring at the time of the positive test.
The Vikings, though, don’t seem to believe Floyd knowingly violated his parole, though head coach Mike Zimmer told the Pioneer Press that he threatened to cut Floyd if he found out the Kombucha story was a lie.
Rudolph and Floyd drove to Mankato together on Wednesday morning and will practice for the first time on Thursday. Floyd is eligible to participate fully in practices and preseason games, but he cannot play in the team’s first four regular season games.
“I don’t know if there’s anyone more excited to be here and to start the 2017 season with everything he went through the past year,” said Rudolph. “I know he’s really looking forward to getting back on the field.”
