CHANHASSEN, Minn. — Former Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Everson Griffen was charged with fourth-degree DWI after he was pulled over while driving Saturday morning in Chanhassen.
According to court documents, a deputy with the Carver County Sheriff's Office arrested Griffen after a pursuit on Powers Boulevard around 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
An incident report said the deputy activated their emergency lights and sirens after witnessing a vehicle's "reckless and erratic" driving, but the driver continued moving at "a high rate of speed." The deputy said the driver, later identified as Griffen, was also illegally passing vehicles while the officer attempted to catch up to him.
The vehicle eventually pulled over, the incident report said, and Griffen "performed poorly" when given a field sobriety test. Court documents said that Griffen had a .099 breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) during his preliminary breath test and then a .09 DMT sample when at Carver County Jail. The deputy also said there was a faint smell of alcohol, adding that the driver's eyes were "very bloodshot, watery, and glassy," according to the court documents, and Griffen told the deputy he was coming back from a casino on his way to a restaurant's grand opening.
Griffen spent 11 seasons with the Vikings and has the fourth-most career sacks in franchise history. He's been an advocate for mental health since posting on Instagram in December of 2021 that he had bipolar disorder.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.