Former Minnesota Vikings star defensive end Everson Griffen was removed from a flight to Minneapolis on Wednesday for “unruly behavior.”

According to TMZ Sports, the incident happened after Everson Griffen boarded a Delta Air Lines flight from Chicago to Minneapolis on Wednesday. The plane was grounded and returned to Chicago O’Hare International Airport soon after takeoff to have Griffen (described as an “unruly passenger”) removed.

Per TMZ Sports, a company spokesperson offered the following statement:

“Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior and will always work with law enforcement to that end. We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel as safety and security comes before everything else at Delta.”

Further details on the incident aren’t clear, and it’s unknown if Everson Griffen was arrested following the incident.

The 37-year-old Griffen has had multiple run-ins with the law in his post-playing career. In July 2023, authorities arrested Griffen in Chanhassen, Minnesota, for driving under the influence.

In May of last year, Everson Griffen was arrested a second time for suspicion of driving while intoxicated (DWI). Griffen entered a plea deal and had his license revoked and ordered to avoid any further driving-related offenses.

Griffen spent his first 10 seasons with the Vikings (2010 to 2019), earning four Pro Bowl selections along the way. After splitting the 2020 season with the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions, he returned to the Vikings for his final NFL campaign in 2021.

Everson Griffen Is Eighth All-Time In Sacks Among Vikings Players

Griffen’s 79.5 sacks as a member of the Vikings place him eighth on the franchise leaderboard. Only Carl Eller, Jim Marshall, John Randle, Alan Page, Chris Doleman, Danielle Hunter and Jared Allen finished with more.

He had his best individual season in 2017, racking up 13 sacks and three forced fumbles as Minnesota made a surprise run to the NFC Championship Game.