According to Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, the decisions to keep a valued assistant and cut a practice squad player after their drunk driving arrests were about much more than their relative value to the team.
In the initial statement regarding the arrests, the Vikings said that defensive coordinator George Edwards was upfront with the team about his May arrest, while Isame Faciane was not.
“Every situation is different,” Zimmer said, via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “And I really don’t care about being consistent. I care about being right. When this happened with George, George was given a lot of things to do, including a huge monetary commitment that he had to make. And he fulfilled all of his obligations.”
Edwards was charged with three misdemeanors, including fourth-degree DWI. As part of a deal, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor careless driving, and was sentenced to a year of probation and fined $1,000. He also had to attend a court-ordered chemical dependency class and a meeting with victims along with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
The Vikings fined Edwards, and Zimmer said: “If he messes up again, his future will be [in doubt].”
“[With Faciane’s] situation, I told the players in the meeting the day they left to make sure they stay out of trouble and do the right things,” Zimmer said. “I told them again on the field [as] they left. I had the coaches text them and remind them to stay out of trouble.
“And then when this did happen, on the very same day he was told to call me twice and didn’t.”
That, and being a third-year practice squad offensive lineman instead of a third-year defensive coordinator, will get you cut.