Simpson missed practice to appeal suspension

Vikings wide receiver Jerome Simpson was excused from Monday's practice to appeal a three-game suspension stemming from a DWI arrest last year.Simpson was in New York with his lawyer, David Valentini, for a disciplinary hearing with the NFL, Valentini said.Simpson, 28, avoided jail time in January after pleading guilty to careless driving and third-degree DWI from a Nov. 9 arrest. He was placed on one-year probation and ordered to perform 120 hours of community service in public schools.The Vikings re-signed the wide receiver in the offseason on a one-year deal for the third consecutive season despite a possible suspension looming from the incident. When the team first signed Simpson in 2012, he faced a three-game suspension by the NFL from a drug arrest in September 2011.Simpson was indicted on a felony drug-trafficking change, but later plead to a lesser felony charge of "being involved in a prohibited act relating to controlled substances." He was sentenced in Kentucky to 15 days in jail in April 2012.Simpson had a career-high 726 receiving yards on 48 receptions with one touchdown last season with the Vikings.He had one catch for 19 yards in the Vikings' 30-28 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday.