Former Minnesota Viking Everson Griffen has struck a plea deal that allows him to avoid a drunken-driving conviction stemming from when he was pulled over last summer in Chanhassen.
Griffen, who played for the Vikings from 2010-19 and again in 2021, was placed on a year’s supervised probation and ordered to pay $1,090 in fines and fees after pleading guilty to misdemeanor careless driving.
In exchange for his plea, Judge Michael Wentzell dismissed the remaining drunken driving and speeding charges.
The 37-year-old Griffen wrote in the plea document filed in Carver County District Court that “I operated my motor vehicle carelessly. Specifically, I drove at a high rate of speed while weaving in and out of traffic, after consuming alcohol. I believe my driving conduct thus endangered myself and others.”
Griffen’s blood alcohol content was .09%, above the legal limit for driving in Minnesota, according to preliminary breath test results noted in the citation.
Wentzell directed Griffen to complete a chemical assessment and attend a victim impact panel. He also was ordered to not drive after license revocation, and commit no alcohol-related or careless driving offenses.
Griffen was stopped late in the morning on July 22 by a by a Carver County sheriff’s deputy after he was reported to be driving in a manner that “caused a person or vehicle to dodge” his car, the citation read. No further details were disclosed other than he was accused of driving 60 miles per hour in a 40 mph zone.
The former All-Pro defensive lineman was arrested near Powers Boulevard and Utica Lane, and detained for about an hour before his release, according to jail records.
