Former Minnesota Viking Everson Griffen apparently extended his string of troubling incidents, this time for being unruly on a flight Wednesday bound for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
The 37-year-old former standout defensive lineman, who lives in the Twin Cities, was removed from the Delta airliner soon after takeoff from Chicago after creating an unspecified scene, according to TMZ Sports.
A Delta spokesperson said pilots went back to their departure point to have “an unruly passenger removed,” the TMZ Sports report said.
“Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior and will always work with law enforcement to that end,” the spokesperson added. “We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel as safety and security comes before everything else at Delta.”
There was no word as of early Wednesday evening about whether Griffen was arrested. Messages were left with him seeking further details about the incident. An attorney who has represented Griffen for past criminal matters had no comment.
In November, Griffen was sentenced to a 60-day term for driving while drunk in May on a Minneapolis interstate. Judge Gina Brandt set aside a year in the workhouse for Griffen and put him on supervisory probation for four years.
In July 2023, he was stopped in Chanhassen and accused of driving 60 mph in a 40 mph zone. His blood-alcohol content was 0.09%. Griffen pleaded guilty to a reduced careless driving charge in February 2024 and was placed on a year’s probation.
In the months following that allegation, Griffen crashed his car into a fence and gazebo in Mound on Oct. 28, 2023. He was cited and convicted of failure to drive with due care, a petty misdemeanor. On Dec. 7, 2023, in Shakopee, police stopped Griffen for driving 55 mph in a 30 mph zone. He was convicted of a petty misdemeanor in that case as well.