Everson Griffen: 'I Will Return as a Much-Improved Person and Player'

Griffen was taken to a Minnesota hospital last weekend after concerns were raised over his mental health.

Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen addressed last weekend's incident that led to him being evaluated at a Minnesota hospital over mental health concerns.

In an Instagram post, Griffen apologized to those impacted by the incident and vowed to return as "a much-improved person and player."

"This past week's events have raised many questions and I want to apologize to everyone who was impacted," Griffen wrote in an Instagram post. "I am currently focused on resolving personal issues with which I have been dealing for a long time. Once I have had time to address those issues, I hope to share my story with everyone.

"I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from my family, the Vikings organization, my teammates and our tremendous fan base. I apologize for not being able to take the field with my teammates and do not have an exact timeline for my return. I promise, however, I will return as a much-improved person and player."

Griffen was taken to a Minnesota hospital last Saturday to receive mental health treatment. According to a police report, authorities were called to the Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis last Saturday after Griffen caused a disturbance in the lobby.

Griffen returned to his house on Saturday only to leave again and later attempt to break into Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes's home. After a police officer met with Griffen, who agreed to be taken in for mental health treatment, the defenseive end fled from the ambulance. Griffen later agreed to continue the trip under police escort, according to the report.

Vikings player development director Les Pico told police that Griffen "has really been struggling for the past few weeks" and "has been explosive, screaming and yelling" at practice. The Vikings banned Griffen from practice and asked him to get mental health treatment, according to the report.

The Vikings listed Griffen as "knee/not injury related" on Monday's injury report after he did not play in Sunday's loss against the Bills. Coach Mike Zimmer told reporters after the game that Griffen had been dealing with a personal matter, even though he was listed out with a knee injury.