Source: Everson Griffen in hospital following hotel incident
Everson Griffen is being evaluated at a hospital in the Minneapolis area following an incident over the weekend where police were called to the hotel at which the Minnesota Vikings defensive end has been staying, a league source told ESPN's Josina Anderson.
The source said Griffen is "getting assistance on personal matters" and that the league is "comfortable he has a good support system around him."
According to a police incident report obtained by ESPN, authorities from the Minneapolis Police Department were called to Hotel Ivy on Saturday because an individual was threatening to shoot someone if he wasn't allowed in his room.
Though his name was redacted from the incident report, sources told ESPN's Courtney Cronin that the individual in question is Griffen, the Vikings' ninth-year defensive end.
The Vikings said Monday that they are concerned about Griffen's well-being.
"We are aware of the situation involving Everson Griffen and certainly concerned by what we have heard," Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said in a statement. "We are currently focused on Everson's well-being and providing the appropriate support for him and his family."
The incident report states that hotel staff believed Griffen was possibly under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. The report states that he checked into the hotel last week and caused a disturbance "each time he walks through the lobby." On Saturday, the situation escalated to a point where Griffen allegedly threatened to assault hotel staff.
Griffen told authorities "I'm leaving" after police arrived on the scene, according to Minneapolis Police Department Public Information Officer John Elder. Police found no gun, and no arrest was made.
A league source took issue with some of the details in the incident report, saying there are "discrepancies" between the report and what actually happened.
A number of professional athletes, including Minnesota Wild and Twins players, live at the downtown Minneapolis hotel, which was built in 2008 and renovated in 2015.
Griffen, a three-time Pro Bowler, did not play in Week 3 after being ruled out Friday with a knee injury. Sources told Anderson that a number of Vikings players and coaches were not aware of Saturday's incident, even at game time on Sunday.
Coach Mike Zimmer was asked postgame to address why Griffen was not on the sideline, to which he responded, "He is having a personal matter, and I'm going to leave it at that."
Griffen, 30, was arrested twice after his rookie season, the first incident coming Jan. 28, 2011, when he was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of public intoxication. He was arrested days later for allegedly assaulting an officer during a traffic stop.
Griffen has played all nine of his seasons with the Vikings and signed a four-year extension last year.
