Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen was removed from a Delta Air Lines flight bound for Minnesota from Chicago after becoming unruly, TMZ Sports reported.
Pilots turned the plane around and made a hasty return to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport only moments after taking off.
“Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior and will always work with law enforcement to that end,” a Delta spokesperson said in a statement. “We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel, as safety and security come before everything else at Delta.”
Griffen has had numerous legal issues.
In 2011, he was tased in an incident in which he assaulted a police officer. In 2023, he was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI). Griffen was hospitalized for “personal matters,” and in 2021, he called police in a panic after saying his friends were trying to kill him.
“The Vikings previously had enacted an emergency plan for Griffen in 2018 following his first mental health situation that spilled onto social media after he posted screenshots of frantic text messages to his agent citing fear for his well-being,” CBS Sports reports.
“Officers for the Minneapolis Police Department at the time were called to Griffen’s room at Hotel Ivy, where a police report later indicated the edge rusher was ‘threatening to shoot someone if he wasn’t allowed in his room.'”
Over his 12-year career, spent with the Vikings, Cowboys, and Lions, Griffen totaled 85.5 sacks and 403 tackles.
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