UPDATE: The Minnesota Vikings have released yet another statement, indicating Everson Griffen is now safe and receiving necessary care.
Early Wednesday morning, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen gave everyone a scare. The four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher shared a now-deleted video to his Instagram account in which he was holding a gun referencing some people who were out to get him.
Griffen went on in the video about how he has legal documentation for the weapon and even mentioned how star Vikings running back Dalvin Cook helped him acquire it, legally. Cook, who’s recently been dealing with some off-the-field issues of his own likely doesn’t appreciate being brought up in this fiasco as well.
In the video, lights were dim, Griffen was acting frantically and was clearly not his self. It was a chilling scene as the 12-year veteran was clearly in fear of his life at the time.
Here is the video.
Because of the situation, the Minnesota Vikings have released an official statement.
We also have an official account from local police in Minnesota, where the incident occurred, and appears to be ongoing.
As the statement notes, Griffen fired a weapon inside his residence. Luckily no one was hurt, but Griffen is refusing to leave his home. Law enforcement and team psychologists are on-site communicating with the defensive end.
Like all of us, Griffen has had his struggles before and was able to overcome them. Let’s hope for a similar resolution this time around.
After a tough year away from the Vikings, Griffen truly appeared to be back to his Pro Bowl form this season, yet that’s not what’s important right now. The only thing that matters is, as the Vikings mentioned, the well-being of Everson and his family.