A former NFL Pro Bowler apparently caused some trouble up in the skies this week.
Ex-Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen was removed from a flight on Wednesday for allegedly causing a disturbance, TMZ Sports reported. The flight was a Delta Airlines plane traveling from Chicago to Minneapolis.
Griffen is accused of creating a scene just minutes after the flight took off from O’Hare International Airport. As a result, the plane had to return to O’Hare in order for Griffen to be removed.
TMZ notes that it is unclear if Griffen was arrested over the incident. However, a Delta spokesperson said in a statement that Griffen had been exhibiting “unruly behavior.”
“Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior and will always work with law enforcement to that end,” the spokesperson told TMZ. “We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel as safety and security comes before everything else at Delta.”
Griffen, now 37 years old, played in the NFL from 2010-21. He was a four-time Pro Bowler as well as a one-time All-Pro selection (all with the Minnesota Vikings). Griffen later played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions before ultimately ending his career with 85.5 sacks (101st on the NFL’s all-time list) and 403 combined tackles over 170 total games played.
During the latter part of his NFL career, Griffen was involved in a troubling incident with law enforcement at his Minnesota home. In the wake of that incident, Griffen revealed that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
