Former Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen was arrested Wednesday morning after refusing to leave an interstate in Minneapolis, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.
Troopers were called at 2:51 a.m. to I-394 near Dunwoody Boulevard after reports of a pedestrian on the westbound freeway. When a state trooper reached the scene, the man was found on the left-hand shoulder and later identified as Griffen. He was ordered to get off the roadway.
The State Patrol said Griffen did not comply, and the trooper used a Taser before taking him into custody.
Griffen was later medically cleared and booked into Hennepin County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of failure to obey a lawful order.
The arrest adds to a series of recent legal issues for Griffen. In July, he was charged with driving a vehicle without an ignition interlock installed, described as a breathalizer device that requires the user to blow a 0.0 before using the vehicle.
In July of 2025, Griffen was accused of violating probation after he reportedly failed to abstain from alcohol or drugs and failed to comply with random drug testing. He was cited later that year, in August, after he was reportedly driving 130 mph in a 60 mph zone on Interstate I-494 in Minnetonka.
Griffen played 10 seasons with the Vikings from 2010-19 and finished with 86 tackles for loss and 74.5 sacks.
He signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, was traded to the Detroit Lions later that year, and then re-signed with the Vikings in 2021 before ending his playing career.
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