Former NFL star Everson Griffen was reportedly removed from a flight Wednesday after allegedly creating a disturbance.
The 37-year-old was onboard a Delta flight departing from Chicago when he was accused of ‘unruly behavior.’
The Minneapolis-bound flight was forced to return to O’Hare International airport minutes after taking off to have ‘an unruly passenger removed,’ according to TMZ.
‘Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior and will always work with law enforcement to that end,’ a statement from a Delta spokesperson said. ‘We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel as safety and security comes before everything else at Delta.’
Flight logs show the plane taking off from O’Hare at 10:56am CDT before touching back down in the Windy City just over an hour later at 12:09pm CDT.
Griffen’s disruptive actions are currently unclear and it is also not known if he was arrested at the gate after being escorted off the flight. However, his behavior was clearly disgraceful enough to warrant the dramatic U-turn from Delta.
Former NFL star Everson Griffen was reportedly removed from a flight Wednesday
Earlier in the day, the former Minnesota Vikings defensive end had appeared excited for his trip. He shared a video to his Instagram story from a car arriving at the terminal.
The 6-foot-3, 273-pound defensive end played in the NFL from 2010 to 2021, earning four Pro Bowl nods.
Griffen made headlines in 2021 when Minnesota police and mental health professionals rushed to his home after he posted a disturbing Instagram video of himself brandishing a handgun and later called 911 claiming an intruder was trying to kill him.
‘Yo, yo, yo,’ Griffen said while holding a handgun at the beginning of the 30-second clip. ‘I’m in my house. N****** trying to pop me. I still got clips left.
‘This is my gun, .45 Wilson Combat, registered to me,’ he said. ‘I bought all my bullets around town.’
Griffen added that Vikings running back Dalvin Cook ‘helped me purchase this gun.’
‘It all belongs to me and they are registered to me, so I know exactly where I bought them. I got the card I have them on. I have everything.’
Shortly after 3am, Griffen called 911 to say there was an intruder at his home who was trying to kill him.

In 2021, Griffen sparked fears when he posted a disturbing video of himself brandishing a gun

The 6-foot-3, 273-pound defensive end, has three sons with his wife, Tiffany (left)
The Minnetrista Police Department released a statement at the time saying they were called to Griffen’s home after he phoned 911 around 3am on Wednesday, saying someone ‘was inside his home.’
‘Griffen also told the 911 dispatcher that he fired a weapon but nobody was injured,’ police said in the statement.
The intruder was never found, but therapists and police remained in contact with Griffen, who refused to leave his home.
‘Since approximately 7am, law enforcement and psychologists from the Minnesota Vikings have been in on-going communication with Griffen, who has refused to come out of his residence,’ the police statement continued.
‘At this time, law enforcement officers are confident Griffen is alone inside the home and continue to work with him to resolve the situation.’
In response to Griffen’s Instagram video, the team rushed mental health workers to his home in Minnetrista to help officers resolve the situation peacefully.
It was eventually reported that Griffen’s hours-long standoff with police had ended peacefully.
Griffen has three sons with his wife, Tiffany. He has previously battled mental health issues and apologized in 2018 for a ‘nervous breakdown’ in which he allegedly threatened to shoot hotel staff and jump out of a moving ambulance.