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Former Viking Everson Griffen gets 60 days in jail and probation for drunken driving in Minneapolis
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Former Viking Everson Griffen gets 60 days in jail and probation for drunken driving in Minneapolis

Former Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen was sentenced to 60 days in jail — which can be served on electronic home monitoring — and four years of probation for driving under the influence on Interstate 35W from Minneapolis in May.

Griffen, 36, of Mound, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court to third-degree DWI, a serious misdemeanor, after reaching a plea deal that includes dismissing one charge of third-degree DWI and one felony count each. fifth-degree drug possession and felony careless driving.

Judge Gina Brandt followed through on the plea deal and stayed a sentence of 364 days in the Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility, also known as the workhouse, for four years. Conditions of probation include no alcohol or drug use and random testing.

According to the criminal complaint, Griffen was pulled over by a Minnesota State Patrol trooper on May 28 at 11:35 p.m. for driving his Bentley Bentayga 82 mph on I-35W southbound near Lake Street. A passenger was in the front seat. Griffen said he had a drink and they headed to the Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake.

Griffen, who was watery-eyed and smelled of alcohol, failed field sobriety tests and a small vial of cocaine was found in his back pocket. A preliminary breath test showed Griffen’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.10. A breath test taken just before 12:30 p.m. also registered a BAC of 0.10. The legal limit in Minnesota is 0.08.

The charges were the latest in a series of legal troubles for Griffen. In February, he was placed on one year’s probation for a reckless driving conviction stemming from a July 2023 DWI arrest in Chanhassen.

About three months later, Griffen crashed his 2017 Mercedes-Benz into a car, then into a fence and gazebo in Mound. He was convicted of failure to drive with due diligence, a misdemeanor.

Griffen was cited for speeding on Dec. 7 after a Shakopee police officer caught him on radar driving his 2020 Bentley pickup going 55 mph in a 30 mph zone.

The former All-Pro has struggled with mental health issues over the years.

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While with the Vikings, Griffen was placed on the non-football illness list following an incident at his home in Minnetrista on November 24, 2021, in which he posted a disturbing video on Instagram that has since been deleted, showing him holding a weapon and expressing concern for his safety.

She called 911 to report an intruder, but none was found. Police and mental health officials worked for several hours to get Griffen out of the house before he was taken by ambulance to a mental health facility.

Griffen also missed five games in 2018 due to a mental health situation. He wrote in an Instagram post on Dec. 3 that he is “bipolar” and “going to be a mental health advocate.”

Griffen played with Minnesota from 2010-19, making four Pro Bowls, and joins the team in 2021 after spending the 2020 season with Dallas and Detroit.