NFL notes: Vikings’ Michael Floyd suspended four games for violating substance-abuse policy

The NFL has suspended Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Michael Floyd without pay Friday for the first four games of the regular season for violating its substance-abuse policy.

Floyd was arrested in Arizona in December after Scottsdale police found him unresponsive at the wheel of his vehicle while it was running at an intersection, reporting a blood alcohol level of 0.217 — more than 2 1/2 times legal limit in Arizona. He pleaded guilty in February to extreme drunken driving.

Last month, an Arizona judge ordered Floyd to serve one day in jail for failing alcohol tests while under house arrest for the drunken driving conviction. He blamed the results on a type of fermented tea called kombucha.

Floyd will be allowed to participate in all preseason practices and games. He can return to the active roster Oct. 2.

Released by the Arizona Cardinals after the arrest, Floyd signed with the New England Patriots and played in two regular-season games with one touchdown catch. He appeared in one playoff game, but wasn’t active for the AFC championship game or the Super Bowl. He agreed to a one-year, $1.5-million deal with the Vikings in May that has incentives that could push the value as high as $6 million.

Floyd is a native of St. Paul, where he was the Associated Press’ two-time state player of the year while at Cretin-Derham Hall High. After three alcohol-related incidents while in college at Notre Dame, including a drunken driving charge the summer before his senior season, Floyd underwent counseling and vowed to disassociate himself from certain people who’d influenced his behavior.

Etc.

Terri Valenti will be the NFL’s first female instant replay official in the booth, moving into that position this season two years after Sarah Thomas became the first full-time official on the field. “I didn’t know what was involved, how long the road would be, how hard it would be, or if I would ever get there,” Valenti said at the NFL’s annual officiating clinic. “To be here at this point is just awesome.” The annual clinic, held before each season, was the first since Alberto Riveron’s promotion to be the head of officiating after Dean Blandino left the NFL. …

Former NFL player Kevin Michael Sampson has been released on bond after he was arrested with more than one pound of marijuana and a stolen shotgun in Oklahoma. The Oklahoman reports that the 36-year-old Sampson was arrested Monday in El Reno. A police report says officers found 21 large clear plastic bags containing marijuana in the trunk of Sampson’s car as well as a shotgun stolen in Missouri and digital scales. Sampson played three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs as an offensive tackle from 2004 to 2006.