Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen has been charged with DWI after he was stopped by police in Chanhassen Saturday morning.
Charges for 4th-degree DWI and reckless driving filed in Carver County state that Griffen was pulled over while driving his 1968 Pontiac LeMans on Powers Boulevard near Utica Lane at around 10:30 a.m.
Court documents state that a sheriff's deputy saw "reckless and erratic" driving from operator of the Pontiac, prompting the deputy to activate their emergency lights.
The driver continued to travel at a "high rate of speed" while also illegally passing vehicles as the deputy attempted to catch up, but the driver – soon after identified as Griffen – eventually pulled over.
Griffen said he was on his way to the grand opening of a restaurant, having recently left a casino.
The deputy claimed Griffen had "bloodshot, watery, and glassy" eyes and "performed poorly" on a field sobriety test. He gave a preliminary breath test of 0.09%, just over Minnesota's legal limit of 0.08% for driving.
Griffen, who lives in Mound, Minnesota, left the Vikings in 2020 after ten years with the team. He had brief stints with the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions before returning to the Vikings in 2021.
He has publicly struggled with his mental health, with two episodes that sparked police responses in Minnesota in 2018 and 2021 leading to him revealing publicly that he has bipolar disorder.
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