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Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Oli Udoh was arrested on Saturday, October 22, after an incident at a nightclub in Miami.
Fox Sports 640 South Florida’s Andy Slater reported Udoh’s arrest on Sunday, stating the Vikings lineman was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Heavy confirmed the arrest via online Miami-Dade County court records.
“The NFL offensive lineman was talking to a woman in the bathroom line at a nightclub, followed her in, and then wouldn’t leave, sources tell me,” Slater tweeted Sunday morning.
A 2019 sixth-round pick, Udoh has been a developmental project for four seasons in Minnesota. After two years, Udoh won the starting right guard spot in 2021. He started in 16 games, 14 at right guard and two at left tackle.
He lost the job with the emergence of third-round rookie Ed Ingram this offseason, leaving Udoh as a versatile backup and special teamer in the offensive line room.
Udoh is on the fourth and final year of his rookie deal and is set to reach free agency next offseason; however, some fans voiced they’re ready for Minnesota to move on now.
Vikings Fans Call for Oli Udoh’s Release
Vikings fans on Twitter unloaded their frustration with Udoh, calling for his release on Sunday.
One fan tweeted at the Vikings’ Twitter account: “cut this dude! Why are some of these people so damn stupid???” — a message echoed by many in the fan base.
While Udoh has not been convicted of any charges, the Vikings will likely assess what to do with Udoh once they learn the details of his criminal complaint.
If he is released, one fan has already suggested that the Vikings’ Week 7 bye will be remembered as “bye oli udoh week.”
Vikings May Have Their O-Line of the Future With Brian O’Neill Leading the Way
While the offensive line in Minnesota has been a bane of the team’s success for over a decade, the Vikings have poured significant investment onto the offensive front.
The entire offensive line is made of first- or second-round picks of the past five years — and so far, those picks are panning out.
The elder statesman of the starting five, 2018 second-round pick Brian O’Neill, has emerged as one of the league’s most dominant right tackles. He earned himself a massive five-year, $92.5 million contract extension last season offseason that makes him the second-highest paid player at his position. The move paid dividends. O’Neill became the first Vikings offensive lineman to make the Pro Bowl since Matt Kalil’s rookie year in 2012.
“It means a lot because [Vikings ownership] believe in me, but at the same time, it means I gotta go prove it,” O’Neill said in a September 2021 press conference. “They believe in me just like they did four years ago, but it’s time to prove them right again. The chip gets bigger.”
O’Neill started in 42 straight games since taking the starting reigns midway through the 2018 season. Each season, he has improved his play, progressing from a 63.0 position grade by Pro Football Focus (PFF) in 2018 to 70.8 in 2019 and 78.0 in 2020.
And the rest of the young Vikings offensive line recognize the path to having staying power in Minnesota with O’Neill paving the way.
“Other linemen that come up on the team behind me can see that there’s an opportunity for a lot of other guys to have this kind of future with the team,” O’Neill said.
O’Neill is on his way to becoming the first lineman drafted by the Vikings to make multiple Pro Bowls since Matt Birk, who was selected in 1998 and made seven Pro Bowls in eight seasons of his prime.
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