Mental Health. Something that is more damaging than physical health. And this story is a very sad, shocking, and something that’s even hard to type. Minnesota Vikings asked Everson Griffen to not practice or be around the team last week when they noticed the change in his mental health.
Anyone going through any mental health issues please get the help needed.
According to TMZ:
The situation began early Saturday morning when a Vikings staffer called cops to report the 3-time Pro Bowler was acting bizarrely and the team feared he could either hurt himself or others.
Cops eventually made contact with Everson’s wife, Tiffany, who said he had been fighting “demons” in his head — and acting erratically.
Tiffany told police Everson was not on medication “but should be.”
A short time later, Tiffany told police she got a call from the fiancee of Everson’s teammate, Trae Waynes, who said Everson “broke into their home and jumped through some bushes” while not wearing a shirt.
Cops went to check it out — but he was already gone.
Turns out, he went to a nearby gas station where he saw a man he recognized — but did not know well.
Everson got into the man’s passenger seat and ordered him to drive around. The driver freaked out and called Everson’s wife. Cops found the car and ultimately called paramedics to treat Everson.
Cops say Everson agreed to be transported to a hospital for a mental health exam — but during the drive, he got spooked when a few deer ran across the road … and jumped out of the vehicle.
He told officials “he was in fear that someone was going to shoot him.”
Everson was eventually transported to the hospital where he is still being treated.
And here is the report according to ESPN:
Les Pico, the Vikings’ executive director of player development, told police in Minnetrista, Minnesota, that team management sent Griffen and his agent the letter on Thursday, two days before an alleged incident involving Griffen at a Minneapolis hotel.
According to the incident report, Pico told police that Griffen had been “explosive, screaming and yelling” at the team facility and that he had been struggling in recent weeks. Vikings director of security Kim Klawiter told police that the team told Griffen not to play Sunday and to “go get his head straight.”
When Griffen reported to the team facility for practice Saturday, he was sent home.
Even though the Vikings want Griffen to undergo the mental health evaluation, Pico told police that Griffen has not done or said anything that led the team to believe that he is a danger to himself or others.
Griffen, 30, is being evaluated at a Minneapolis-area hospital, according to the incident report. A league source told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that Griffen is “getting assistance on personal matters” and that the league is “comfortable he has a good support system around him.”
Pico told police that he intended to meet with Griffen on Saturday at Hotel Ivy, where Griffen had been staying. Pico told police that upon meeting Griffen at the hotel, the defensive end forgot why he wanted to speak to him and did not want to talk to him anymore.
According to a separate incident report obtained earlier Tuesday by ESPN, authorities from the Minneapolis Police Department were called Saturday to Hotel Ivy because an individual was threatening to shoot someone if he wasn’t allowed in his room.
Though his name was redacted from the Hotel Ivy incident report, sources told Cronin that the individual in question at the hotel is Griffen.
Following the incident at the hotel Saturday, Griffen allegedly attempted to break in to the home of teammate Trae Waynes before climbing into a stranger’s truck and being driven to his home in Minnetrista, according to an incident report.
In a statement released Tuesday afternoon, Waynes, however, denied that Griffen attempted to break in to his home.
“To clarify, there was no attempted break-in at our home and at no point did my family or I feel unsafe. We are friends with the Griffen family and we are here to support them in any way possible during these trying times,” he said.
Minnetrista Police then met with Griffen at his home. Asked by police why he went to Waynes’ home, Griffen said that “God made me do it” and later agreed to go to the hospital.
The reporting officer placed a health and welfare hold on Griffen “based upon his actions and information I had acquired about him.”
While waiting for the ambulance to take him to the hospital, Griffen reportedly told an officer about people trying to kill him. Griffen also jumped out of the ambulance, saying he was in fear of someone shooting him, before ultimately being calmed and taken to the hospital.
The report notes that no criminal charges are forthcoming.
The defensive end did not practice last week and was listed as having a knee injury. The Vikings ruled him out of Sunday’s game against the Bills because of the injury, and coach Mike Zimmer said after the game that Griffen was not in attendance because he was dealing with a personal matter.
Sources told Anderson that a number of Vikings players and coaches were not aware of Saturday’s incident, even at game time on Sunday.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said Monday night in a statement that the team was “currently focused on Everson’s well-being and providing the appropriate support for him and his family.”
At a news conference Tuesday, Zimmer at first referred to Spielman’s statement before saying that “the only thing I’m really concerned for Everson about isn’t anything to do with football; it’s about him getting better.”
“He’s always been a really, really good model for us, and obviously he’s going through some tough times right now,” the coach added.
Zimmer noted that Griffen would not have been able to play Sunday due to the knee injury.
We are sending our best wishes to Griffen and his family during this tough time.
And we hope this is something he can overcome. Mental health is very important, and hopefully this has nothing to do with any concussions, which it might.
Griffins career could be cut short if we dont see improvement. Which might be best for himself, his friends, and family.
