Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen left his home Wednesday afternoon and was “getting the care he needs” after he earlier placed a 911 call related to an alleged incident at his house.
Earlier in the day, Griffen posted screenshots on Instagram of text messages to his agent asking him to call 911 and saying, “People are trying to kill me.”
According to the Star Tribune, a since-deleted video posted to Griffen’s Instagram account showed the 33-year-old player holding a gun.
“Law enforcement agencies have notified us Everson Griffen came out of his home without incident and is now getting the care he needs,” the Vikings said in a statement. “We are thankful to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnetrista Police Department and the Orono Police Department for their quick response and dedication to ensuring the situation ended peacefully. Our focus remains on Everson’s health and safety and providing the proper resources for him and his family.”
An earlier statement from the team said, “Vikings representatives and the team’s mental health professionals have been on-site at Everson Griffen’s home since early this morning and are cooperating with law enforcement. Our only concern is the safety and well-being of Everson and his family. We will have further comment at the appropriate time.”
The Minnetrista Police Department released a statement saying officers were called to Griffen’s home after he placed a 911 call shortly after 3 a.m. on Wednesday, requesting “help from the police” because someone “was inside his home.”
“Griffen also told the 911 dispatcher that he fired a weapon but nobody was injured,” per the statement, adding that law enforcement agencies were unable to locate an intruder.
“Since approximately 7 a.m., law enforcement and psychologists from the Minnesota Vikings have been in on-going communication with Griffen, who has refused to come out of his residence. At this time, law enforcement officers are confident Griffen is alone inside the home and continue to work with him to resolve the situation.”
Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer told reporters he learned of the developing situation early Wednesday morning.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said Wednesday afternoon that he went to Griffen’s house earlier in the day.
“I can’t tell you how fortunate we are to have the mental health team we have in place that was over there with me and to watch the law enforcement groups and how they handled the situation,” Spielman said.
In September 2018, the Vikings ordered Griffen to seek a mental health evaluation and treatment after a series of events that raised concerns with his teammates, team personnel and family. In one incident, police said he threatened to assault employees at a downtown Minneapolis hotel if they didn’t let him into his room. He was also screaming and yelling and acting paranoid at practice, per reports.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Griffen has five sacks and 10 quarterback hits in nine games (six starts) this season.
He has 85.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and two interceptions in 170 career games (96 starts) for the Vikings (2010-19, 2021), Dallas Cowboys (2020) and Detroit Lions (2020).
–Field Level Media
