NFL defensive lineman Everson Griffen was receiving care Wednesday after refusing to leave his Minnesota home for hours after calling 911 to report an intruder, according to law enforcement officials and the Minnesota Vikings organization.
He left the home without incident Wednesday afternoon after refusing to come out for most of the day, prompting ongoing communication with law enforcement and team psychologists, they said.
“Shortly after 3 a.m., Griffen called 911 from the residence and said someone was inside his home and that he needed help from police,” the Minnetrista Public Safety Department said in a statement. “Griffen also told the 911 dispatcher that he fired a weapon but nobody was injured.”
When officials arrived at the athlete’s home, they found there was no intruder, the department said.
The agency said psychologists from the Minnesota Vikings had been in communication with Griffen for hours.
Law enforcement personnel were confident Griffen was the only person inside the home, officials said.
Griffen came out of his home without incident about 1:30 p.m., officials said. He was transported by ambulance to an area health care facility, according to the public safety department.
Griffen’s NFL team said that Vikings representatives and mental health professionals had been at his home since early morning and were cooperating with law enforcement.
“Law enforcement agencies have notified us Everson Griffen came out of his home without incident and is now getting the care he needs,” the Vikings said Wednesday afternoon. ” Our focus remains on Everson’s health and safety and providing the proper resources for him and his family.”
A representative for Griffen could not be immediately reached Wednesday afternoon.
The incident remained under investigation by the Minnetrista police and the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, officials said.
Griffen had posted on Instagram screenshots of middle-of-the-night text messages to his agent, Brian Murphy, that were pleas for help because he said people were trying to kill him. Griffen also posted a video depicting him with a gun that he said was purchased legally. Those posts have since been deleted.
The three-time Pro Bowl pick missed five games in 2018 as he dealt with his mental health.
According to police at the time, Griffen had made comments about people trying to kill him. He was involved in a disturbance the day before a game at a local hotel, then later showed up shirtless at teammate Trae Waynes’ house. Griffen was taken to a hospital, but he jumped out of the ambulance at one point before police talked him back in.
Griffen was never arrested or suspected of committing any crimes, but he underwent a mental health evaluation. He then went on a team-supported leave, returning later in the season and finishing with 5½ sacks in 11 games. In an interview two years later with the NFL Network, Griffen said he spent the last three months of that 2018 season living in a sober house.
Griffen rejoined the Vikings this season after playing for Dallas and Detroit in 2020. He played for Minnesota from 2010-19 after being drafted in the fourth round out of USC. The 33-year-old has five sacks in nine games this season.
Griffen and his wife, Tiffany, have three children. He posted a moving tribute to her on Instagram on Tuesday, in honor of their youngest child’s birthday, 4-year-old Sebastian.
Vikings’ General Manager Rick Spielman addressed the media Wednesday afternoon.
“Their family is our family,” he said. “It’s important at this moment that we respect the health, the safety and the well-being of everyone that is involved in this situation. And I know he is receiving the care and the support he needs along with his family.”