Michael Floyd was sentenced to a day in jail in June after presenting his kombucha tea defense to an Arizona judge. The Minnesota Vikings receiver also sold coach Mike Zimmer that the tea caused his failed tests for alcohol.
"Do I believe it? I don't know how much tea he drank. I have no clue," Zimmer told Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press. "I don't have any doubt why there'd be skepticism, but he told me that he wasn't [drinking]. That it was legit."
Zimmer said he spoke with Floyd over the phone after news broke that he violated the terms of his DUI conviction.
"I said, 'If I find out you're lying to me, I'm going to cut you,'" Zimmer said.
Floyd told Scottsdale officials the positive test results stemmed from his consumption of kombucha tea, which he didn't realize contained alcohol.
Floyd pleaded guilty to extreme DUI in February after Scottsdale police found him unconscious behind the wheel of his SUV in December. The 27-year-old served the first 24 days of his 120-day jail sentence at a county facility before spending the final 96 days in home confinement, according to court records. In addition to jail time, he was ordered not to drink alcohol, undergo alcohol counseling, perform 30 hours of community service and pay a fine of $5,115.99.
The Arizona Cardinals released Floyd two days after the DUI arrest and the New England Patriots claimed him off waivers. After being part of the Patriots' Super Bowl-winning squad, the sixth-year receiver signed an incentive-laden deal with the Vikings last month worth $1.5 million for one year, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
Floyd remains subject to possible NFL discipline under the league's personal conduct policy.
The Vikings stuck with Floyd through his ordeal this summer, which indicates they hope to have him part of their 53-man roster. Zimmer made it clear, however, that the wideout remains on thin ice.
UPDATE: Michael Floyd was suspended for the first four games of the 2017 campaign for violating the league's substance abuse policy, the team announced on July 14.
