Courtesy: Hennepin County Jail Roster
Courtesy: Hennepin County Jail Roster
Everson Griffen, a former defensive end for the Vikings, was arrested after he refused to leave an interstate in Minneapolis Wednesday morning.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, at 2:51 am., troopers were called to I-394 near Dunwoody Boulevard for reports of a pedestrian on the westbound freeway. When a state trooper arrived, they found the man on the left-hand shoulder, later identified as Griffen, and ordered him to leave the roadway.
Griffen reportedly refused to listen to the state trooper, who then deployed a Taser and took Griffen into custody, according to the State Patrol.
Once he was medically cleared, Griffen was taken to Hennepin County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of failure to obey a lawful order.
Griffen has had multiple encounters with law enforcement in recent years.
In July, Griffen was charged with driving a vehicle without an ignition interlock installed, a breathalizer device that requires the user to blow a 0.0 before using the vehicle.
In July of 2025, Griffen was accused of violating his probation after he reportedly failed to abstain from alcohol or drugs and failed to comply with random drug testing. He was cited later that year, in August, after he was reportedly driving 130 mph in a 60 mph zone on Interstate I-494 in Minnetonka.
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Griffen spent 10 seasons with the Vikings from 2010-19, recording 86 tackles for loss and 74.5 sacks.
He signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, was traded to the Detroit Lions later that year, then re-signed with the Vikings in 2021, after which he ended his playing career.