In the wake of what one Minnesota Vikings official referred to as a ‘nervous breakdown,’ the team’s star defensive end Everson Griffen apologized to fans, teammates, and ‘everyone’ effected by the recent episode in which he allegedly threatened to shoot hotel staff and even jumped out of an ambulance.
‘This past week’s events have raised many questions, and I want to apologize to everyone who was impacted,’ read the statement he posted to Instagram on Thursday. ‘I am currently focused on resolving personal issues with which I have been dealing for a long time. Once I have had time to address those issues, I hope to share my story with everyone.’
The 30-year old did not play in or attend last Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills or Thursday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, both because of a knee injury and because the team asked him to undergo a mental evaluation on September 20, according to multiple reports.
As Vikings’ director of player development Les Pico told the Minnetrista Police Department on Saturday, Griffen had been ‘explosive, screaming and yelling’ at the team facility.
Everson Griffen did not play in or attend last Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills or Thursday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, both because of a knee injury and because the team asked him to undergo a mental evaluation on September 20, according to multiple reports
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Griffen signed a four-year, $58 million contract extension in July of 2017, with $34 million in guarantees. He’s made $48.4 million over his nine seasons. He and his wife Tiffany (left) have three sons, all born between 2013 and 2017. On Saturday, a Vikings staffer called police to request that someone check on Tiffany and the children out of fear that Griffen, who had allegedly threatened someone earlier, could hurt his family
On Saturday Griffen allegedly threatened to shoot staff at Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis unless he was allowed back into his room, according to the incident report obtained by the Daily Mail. The name of the accused was redacted, but according to multiple reports, the man was Griffen.
Later Griffen allegedly attempted to break into Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes’s home, but Waynes later denied that in a statement issued by the team.
Griffen later agreed to go to the hospital, but allegedly jumped out of the ambulance once and tried to flee, according to the police report. The reporting officer ultimately placed a health and welfare hold on Griffen ‘based upon his actions and information’ he’d been told from Vikings officials and from Tiffany.
During Saturday’s events, Griffen’s wife Tiffany told police he suffers from mental struggles and had gone several days without sleeping, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
In his apology, Griffen thanked his family, his teammates, the Vikings organization and the fans for their support. He also vowed to return.
‘I apologize for not being able to take the field with my teammates and do not have an exact timeline for my return,’ he wrote. ‘I promise, however, I will return as a much-improved person and player.’
The responses Griffen received on Instagram were mostly positive.
A few commenters focused on Griffen’s absence from Thursday’s loss, although his injured knee would have prevented him from playing even without his recent episode.
Others shared words of encouragement.
‘Health is more important,’ wrote one commenter. ‘God bless big Griff.’
Another supporter wrote: ‘Whether you decide to come back or not, it was a privilege watching you on the field. Wishing you the best and I’m rooting for you big dawg.’
The three-time Pro Bowl selection was ordered by the Vikings earlier this week to undergo a mental evaluation following an incident involving the police last weekend at a Minneapolis hotel.
According to the police report, Pico told police that the 30-year old has been increasingly paranoid in recent weeks and is ‘facing a possible divorce’ with his wife Tiffany, with whom he has three sons.
Griffen was scratched from Sunday’s home game against Buffalo with a knee injury, but was also inexplicably absent from the sideline. When asked where Griffen was, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters that he was dealing with a ‘personal matter.’
According to the incident report obtained by the Daily Mail, a man threatened to shoot staffers at the Ivy Hotel on Saturday.
The Minneapolis Police Department incident report detailed the altercation but redacted the name of the person making the threats. According to Minneapolis’ ABC affiliate, KSTP, the person being referred to is Griffen.
Griffen, who is listed at 6ft3 and 273 pounds, was not seen with a gun, according to the police report.
At one point, Hotel Ivy staffers moved to the back of the office as the man believed to be Griffen paced in the lobby. Police audio indicated that the suspect said he would shoot someone if he wasn’t let into his room. A caller to police also reported he threatened to assault hotel employees.
No arrests were made and Griffen had left by the time police arrived.
Griffen, who may have been intoxicated, was looking to get into the resident’s area of Hotel Ivy, but was not permitted because he did not have a lease, according to the police report.
It’s common for NFL teams to stay in hotels the night before a home game. However, as a Vikings spokesman told the Daily Mail, ‘We do not stay there.’
Griffen had been staying at Hotel Ivy during the week, according to multiple reports.
Vikings director of security Kim Klawiter called the police on Saturday to request that someone check on Griffen’s wife and three children after the incident at the hotel.
‘Kim told me that he and other Vikings staff are concerned about Everson Griffen and what he may or may not do to himself and or his wife and kids,’ read the police report. ‘Kim said that he hasn’t been acting normal lately and said that it’s almost like he is having a nervous break down. Kim said that it was so bad that the team told him not to play on Sunday and to go get his head straight.’
After the officer arrived, the family’s nanny said Tiffany Griffen had left the home with the three children. The police officer later met Tiffany at another location, where she described his erratic behavior, including a recent three-day disappearance.
‘Tiffany said that Everson has not been acting normal lately,’ the report read. ‘She stated that last Sunday on 09-16-18 they were sleeping and in the middle of the night he got up and left. Tiffany said that he does this from time to time as he is fighting with “demons” in his head and that it’s normal for him to run away and has done this throughout his life. Tiffany said that Everson didn’t return home until Wednesday 09-19-18.’
Griffen returned home briefly and argued with Tiffany briefly before leaving again.
He was back on Saturday morning and acted as though nothing unusual had happened.
‘Tiffany said she was taking a shower and he walked into the bathroom and the first thing he said to her was “So who Died?”‘ the report continued. ‘Everson then made a comment about “I just want help.” Tiffany said he didn’t make any sense and asked him what he was talking about. A short time later Everson told Tiffany to get the f*** out.’
After speaking with Tiffany, a police officer called Griffen, who was rambling incoherently and said he’d be gone ‘for about a week.’
Later on Saturday, Griffen’s wife called the police to say that he had been seen trying to break into teammate Trae Waynes’s home.
Minutes later Griffen’s wife told police that he was in a pickup truck with an unidentified man who had encountered Griffen at a gas station and delivered him home. (Griffen later told the police officer that he left his own car at the station, but did not explain why).
Eventually police met Griffen outside his home, where he was yelling about ‘777,’ which some believe is the ‘number of God.’
Griffen told police that he had attempted to break into Wanyes’s home because ‘God made me do it.’
He was also rambling about missing the ‘doughnut club’ at work, but insisted that he was not insane.
‘He stated he wasn’t crazy, but he felt people were trying to kill him,’ the report read. ‘When asked who, he stated Tiffany, his mother in law, and everybody. Everson asked if I knew his parents and if I killed them.’
After agreeing to be taken in for mental treatment, Griffen jumped out of the ambulance and fled.
Police arrived again, at which point Griffen surrendered with his hands in the air and agreed to continue with a police escort. According to the police report, Griffen was still frightened that someone was trying to hurt him.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman issued a statement that read, ‘We are aware of the situation involving Everson Griffen and certainly concerned by what we have heard. We are currently focused on Everson’s well-being and providing the appropriate support for him and his family.’
Since debuting in 2010, Griffen has been arrested twice. The first came in January of 2011, when he was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of public intoxication. Days later he was arrested again for allegedly assaulting a police officer during a traffic stop.
Police spokeswoman Karen Rayner told City News Service at the time that Griffen was ‘uncooperative and tried to run from officers,’ who used a taser on the former USC star.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Griffen signed a four-year, $58 million contract extension in July of 2017, with $34 million in guarantees. He’s made $48.4 million over his nine seasons.
Griffen and his wife Tiffany have three sons, all born between 2013 and 2017.
In November of 2017, Griffen told ESPN that he planned on having ‘four or five’ children.
‘We’re going to have a big family.’
Griffen also said he would wait before introducing his sons to football.
‘I will allow them to play but they won’t play until their freshman year in high school,’ he said. ‘I’m going to hold them back and let them play baseball, soccer and basketball. I didn’t start playing tackle until freshman year in high school.
‘The brain is a sensitive area. I want less contact as possible.’
Griffen is in his ninth season with the Vikings, who made him a fourth-round draft pick in 2010 out of Southern California. In 123 games, including 65 starts, he has 62 sacks, one interception and 10 forced fumbles. He logged a career-high 13 sacks last year and was named a team captain before the 2018 season began.
When asked on Tuesday, Zimmer told reporters that Griffen is ‘a really good kid.
‘I’ve always loved Everson,’ Zimmer said. ‘He’s always been a good model for us and he’s going through some tough times right now. I just hope the best for him.’