Former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Everson Griffen has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and cocaine possession in Minneapolis, marking the latest in a series of run-ins with the law related to substance use and mental health.
Former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Everson Griffen was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of driving under the influence and cocaine possession in Minneapolis.
According to Hennepin County Jail records, Griffen was booked at 12:59 a.m. on May 29 after being arrested by Minnesota State Police about an hour earlier.
Griffen, 36, was initially pulled over for driving at a "high rate" of speed in his Bentley Bentayga," State Patrol told TMZ.
Police said they could smell alcohol in Griffen’s car, and he had "slightly watery eyes." There were also two others in the vehicle at the time.
Griffen was later released at 3:13 p.m. on May 30, but faces five charges related to his arrest, including DWI and operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 within two hours. TMZ reported Griffen blew a 0.10 on his breathalyzer test.
Griffen is also facing a fifth-degree drug possession charge, as KARE11 reports the state trooper "located a small plastic vile with a small amount of white powder in his back right pants pocket, which appeared to be cocaine," according to a criminal complaint. The vile was field tested and it "tested positive for the presence of cocaine."
A court date has been set for Griffen on June 13 at 1:15 p.m.
This is not the first time Griffen has faced the same type of arrest. In fact, it has not been a full year since his last suspicion of DUI arrest.
Griffen eventually pleaded guilty to a careless driving charge after a July 2023 incident led to a fourth-degree DWI charge. He was placed on one-year probation as well.
However, three months later, Griffen crashed his vehicle into a fence and gazebo, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Griffen faced a petty misdemeanor for failure to drive with due care.
Two months after that, Griffen was convicted of a petty misdemeanor for driving 55 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone.
Griffen played all but one season with the Vikings over his 12 years in the NFL, earning four Pro Bowls, 85.5 sacks and 403 combined tackles.
Griffen dealt with mental health during his playing days, which included a 2021 incident when he called 911 claiming intruders were trying to enter his home. Griffen posted multiple videos to his Instagram account, including one where he showed a gun that he said then-teammate Dalvin Cook helped him purchase.
Griffen would end up refusing to leave his home despite police saying no intruders were outside his home. He spoke with both police and team psychologists with the Vikings for hours before finally leaving and entering a health care facility.
Griffen had a previous situation in 2018 where he underwent a mental health evaluation at a hospital following an incident at Hotel Ivy in Minneapolis, where he was accused of threatening to shoot someone because he was not allowed in his room. This came two days after Griffen and his agent were sent a letter from the Vikings, saying he would not be allowed back to the team unless he underwent a mental health evaluation.
He would later reveal in December 2021 that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
