Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen has been battling a serious mental-health related issue for the past several weeks and currently is undergoing evaluation at a local hospital, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday morning.
Griffen was able to play in the Vikings' first two games of the season, recording a half sack in each contest, but "the situation became unmanageable this past week when they ruled him out against the Bills," Pelissero reported on NFL Network's Good Morning Football.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer told reporters following Sunday's loss to the Bills that Griffen did not play due to a personal matter, and there have been a number of reports concerning Griffen's status following the game.
"I had two team sources reach out to me to specifically refute a report that Griffen was arrested over the weekend in connection to an attempted break-in at one of his teammate's houses," Pelissero said.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman released the following statement Monday night:
"We are aware of the situation involving Everson Griffen and certainly concerned by what we have heard. We are focused on Everson's well-being and providing the appropriate support for him and his family."
The Vikings face the Rams this Thursday night in Los Angeles, and Zimmer has already ruled Griffen out for the game.
I would imagine that gauging Griffen's return to the football field is next to impossible given that mental health issues aren't as easily treatable as, say, a sprained knee. Nevertheless, it was inevitable that some hardcore Vikings fans lamented this news in context of how it will impact the team's Super Bowl prospects now that the Vikes' top pass rusher is out indefinitely.
Look, I've been a Vikings fan for 40+ years. I've witnessed some of the more gut-wrenching losses this franchise has endured outside of its four Super Bowl defeats. But when I heard of what Griffen has been enduring, my immediate thought was this:
That's a picture of Griffen, his beautiful wife Tiffany and their three small children. I imagine Tiffany would give anything right now for their biggest problem to be whether the Vikings can make a deep postseason run.
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