Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen was booked into the Winona County Jail on Thursday night after a traffic stop led to another arrest.
Griffen, who played 170 NFL games and 156 of them with the Vikings, has been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons more than once since his career ended in 2021. The 38-year-old, once a Pro Bowl edge rusher and a fan favorite in Minnesota, was taken into custody shortly after 9 p.m. Thursday, according to public records.
The listed charge says Griffen drove a vehicle without the ignition-interlock device required by his restricted license.
Rochester’s KROC reported that Griffen was pulled over for speeding on Riverview Dr. in Winona shortly after 8:12 p.m. “Griffen was stopped for speeding on Riverview Dr. in Winona shortly after 8:12 p.m. An officer clocked the 38-year-old traveling 62 mph in the 40 mph zone, according to the Winona Police Department.”
Police then found that the vehicle did not have the required ignition-interlock device.
Griffen is still serving a four-year term of supervised probation after pleading guilty to third-degree DWI in Hennepin County in November 2024. He was also cited last August for misdemeanor reckless driving and petty-misdemeanor speeding after police said he was driving 130 mph in a 60 mph zone on Interstate 494.
Thursday’s booking record did not mention drugs or alcohol. Griffen has dealt with both in the past, but this latest incident appears to stem from speeding and the absence of the ignition-interlock device required under his restricted license.
Two weeks before the arrest, Griffen posted on Instagram about starting a “brand-new chapter” and rebuilding his health, body and mind. He is an Arizona native, but he has stayed in Minnesota since his playing career ended.
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