Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen was growing increasingly paranoid and feared someone was trying to kill him in the weeks and days before troubling incidents Saturday at a downtown Minneapolis hotel and in his Minnetrista neighborhood sent law enforcement looking for him, according to police reports released Tuesday.
The behavior prompted the Vikings to ban a disruptive Griffen last week from practice and seek mental health treatment, the reports said, which also noted that the 30-year-old husband and father is not suspected of a crime.
By the end of Saturday afternoon, Griffen was taken in an ambulance for treatment, but not before another outburst prompted police to intervene and escort him to the emergency vehicles' destination.
Griffen did not play in Sunday's 27-6 loss to Buffalo at U.S. Bank Stadium. He was on last week's injury report as sidelined by a knee injury. On Monday, the Vikings listed him on the injury report as not having practiced because of "knee/not injury related."
On Monday night, Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman issued a statement that read, in part, "We are aware of the situation involving Everson Griffen and certainly concerned by what we have heard."
Griffen is at a mental health facility for evaluation and treatment, NFL sources have confirmed. His struggles raise doubts when Griffen might get back on the field as well.
Griffen first drew police attention about 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis, where the three-time Pro Bowl player was threatening to assault staff employees and lying on the lobby floor, according to a Minneapolis police incident report.
Emergency audio dispatch revealed as events unfolded that he "said that if someone doesn't let him in his room that he is going to shoot someone," but no gun was seen.
An officer met with Griffen's wife at a park Saturday in Mound and recounted events leading up to the hotel incident:
She said her husband awoke in the middle of the night on Sept. 16 and left the home. She said he does this at times when he is fighting "demons" in his head. She said he returned Wednesday only to leave an hour later and not return until Saturday morning.
She said Griffen wasn't making sense, became combative and ordered her out of the Minnetrista home. He then went to the Hotel Ivy, which is where he stays during the week. She said Griffen needs to be medicated for his mental struggles and had been without sleep for days.
The officer called Griffen on his cellphone, and Griffen said he was going to be gone for about a week and was rambling incoherently before hanging up.
Police learned from Vikings player development director Les Pico that Griffen "has been really struggling for the past few weeks," the police reports read, and that the Griffens are facing possible divorce.
Pico said Griffen "has been explosive, screaming and yelling" at practice, the reports continued. Pico called Griffen paranoid and prone to repeating himself.
The team notified Griffen's agent that its defensive star was banned from practice until his mental health is evaluated.
Griffen's wife then called and said he was at teammate Trae Waynes' home down the road. Griffen was trying to break in, had jumped through bushes and was shirtless. Within minutes, Griffen's wife notified police that he was in a pickup truck with someone who didn't know what to do with him. The man had encountered Griffen at a gas station, and delivered him home.
Police met Griffen outside late Saturday afternoon, and he was making comments about "777" — having to do with angels — and that he went to Waynes' home because "God made me do it."
Griffen agreed with the officer to be taken for mental health treatment. But soon after the ambulance was en route, Griffen fled the vehicle. By the time police arrived, he had returned and had his hands in the air. Eventually, Griffen agreed to continue the trip under police escort.
The Vikings selected Griffen in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He has been chosen for the Pro Bowl the past three seasons and received a four-year, $58 million contract extension from the team in 2017 that put him under contract through the 2022 season. He was elected a team captain for the third consecutive season in 2018.
Griffen was arrested twice in three days in Los Angeles in 2011, following his rookie season, for public intoxication and driving with an invalid license.
Star Tribune staff writers Liz Sawyer and Ben Goessling contributed to this report. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
Did I miss where he killed someone or destroyed a bunch of property? I mean, he had a psychotic break by all accounts but didn't actually DO anything other than act all crazy...
I know that is my point, he made the comment if he was an owner he couldn't. So my response is why cause he has a mental illness?
Stigma like that is why we have the issues with mental illness we do people act like he is either some fuckup or has some incurable disease so he can't be around anyone else.
Weird small world, no sooner do I see this thread than I click on the latest episode of Inside the NFL, . . . only it's mistagged and is actually the first episode of this season for Inside the NFL, . . . the one where Everson Griffen is mic-ed up for the NFL Films highlights. [Reply]
Originally Posted by displacedinMN:
I don't think someone out 5 weeks for mental issues should be allowed to come back and play football.
Why? He didn't hurt anybody. It's assumed that he can be medicated. Are we going to go back to the 1800's and just start locking them away in asylums? [Reply]
Originally Posted by displacedinMN:
I don't think someone out 5 weeks for mental issues should be allowed to come back and play football.
That's silly. If that were the case, I know of a lot of others (for example, many politicians) who should not be allowed back into their jobs and lives.... [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter:
That's silly. If that were the case, I know of a lot of others (for example, many politicians) who should not be allowed back into their jobs and lives....
Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen suffered a concussion when he was involved in a car accident Thursday morning when swerving to miss a deer en route to TCO Performance Center, coach Mike Zimmer said Friday.
Griffen was one of four Vikings ruled out of Sunday's game at Arizona, joining linebacker Anthony Barr (knee), left tackle Christian Darrisaw (groin) and special teamer Harrison Hand (hamstring).
Linebacker Eric Kendricks (quadriceps) was listed as questionable but should play, Zimmer said.
Griffen, who first missed practice Thursday, would have to clear the NFL's concussion protocol to return to the team.
According to a news release from the Minnetrista Public Safety Department, Griffen was involved in a single vehicle crash off County Road 44 there at 6:30 a.m. Thursday. Responding officers found him walking outside the vehicle, which Griffen said had swerved off the road to miss a deer and crashed into a tree. Griffen, who was alone, was treated for minor injuries by paramedics at the scene; his vehicle sustained front and side damage.
The defensive end, who re-signed with the Vikings last month and was expected to be a situational pass rusher, had one pressure and a near sack while playing 28 snaps in last week's loss at Cincinnati.
Griffen's absence will mean more snaps behind starter D.J. Wonnum for Stephen Weatherly, who has been praised by coaches this week. He had three tackles in only 17 snaps against the Bengals.
"Last week, I thought he played well," Zimmer said. "Played with physicality. I thought he did some good things."
Barr will be missing his 16th consecutive game. He suffered a torn pectoral muscle in Week 2 a year ago, but has recently been dealing with a lingering knee injury.
Typically, Barr would be assigned to spy a mobile quarterback such as Arizona's Kyler Murray. Asked what the Vikings will do this weekend, Zimmer said, "We'll have different people" do it.
Kendricks didn't appear on the injury report until Thursday. Asked if he suffered the injury in practice or if this was a problem from last week's game, Zimmer said, "No." Then he paused, chuckled and said, "He just got a tweak."
Zimmer has been using the word "tweak" as a punch line because of the grief he's taken the past year for using that term to describe the neck injury that eventually cost defensive end Danielle Hunter the entire 2020 season.
Turning serious, Zimmer said of Kendricks, "He's all right. We're just being cautious. I think he's going to be OK. It went pretty good today."
Linebacker Nick Vigil (ankle) also was on the injury report this week but will play Sunday.
Griffen's unusual injury was not the Vikings' only oddity Friday. The strong storms that swept through the area overnight knocked out the electricity throughout Eagan, including the Vikings' practice facility.
"We had meetings like the old school with chalkboards and white boards," Zimmer said. "We'll catch up on the film [Saturday] morning when we get back for meetings."
Asked if there were any backup generators at TCO, Zimmer said, "Basically, no. Had to take a shower in the dark. … You can't make it up. But, hey, we're survivors." [Reply]