Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen has been charged with DWI after he was stopped by police in Chanhassen Saturday morning.
Charges for 4th-degree DWI and speeding filed in Carver County state that Griffen was pulled over while driving his 1968 Pontiac LeMans on Powers Boulevard near Utica Lane at around 10:30 a.m.
Court documents state that a sheriff’s deputy saw “reckless and erratic” driving from operator of the Pontiac, KARE 11 reports, prompting the deputy to activate their emergency lights.
The citation issued to Griffen alleges he was traveling at an estimated speed of 60 mph in a 40 mph zone, while also illegally passing vehicles as the deputy attempted to catch up.
He eventually pulled over, and told the officer he was on his way to the grand opening of a restaurant, having recently left a casino.
The deputy claimed Griffen had “bloodshot, watery, and glassy” eyes and “performed poorly” on a field sobriety test. He gave a preliminary breath test of 0.09%, just over Minnesota’s legal limit of 0.08% for driving.
Griffen, who lives in Mound, Minnesota, left the Vikings in 2020 after ten years with the team. He had brief stints with the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions before returning to the Vikings in 2021.
He has publicly struggled with his mental health, with two episodes that sparked police responses in Minnesota in 2018 and 2021 leading to him revealing publicly that he has bipolar disorder.
