Vikings' Everson Griffen to Play vs. Saints; His 1st Game Since Hotel Incident

The Minnesota Vikings will have defensive end Everson Griffen back for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints.

Per Zach Royse of the team's official website, Griffen has been a full participant in practice ahead of the game and will make his first appearance since Week 2.

Ryan Raiche of KSTP Eyewitness News reported Sept. 25 that Griffen's name was redacted from a police report stemming from an incident at a hotel in which the defensive end "threatened to assault staff members and was laying on the lobby floor."

Per Paul Walsh of the Star Tribune, Griffen was taken to a mental health facility for treatment after he had grown "increasingly paranoid and feared someone was trying to kill him."

Griffen wrote in an Instagram post Sept. 27 that he was "focused on resolving personal issues with which I have been dealing for a long time."

After Griffen returned to Minnesota on Tuesday, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said in a statement that the team will continue to support the three-time Pro Bowler and has remained in contact with his doctors to discuss the next steps in his recovery.

Griffen, 30, has spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Vikings. He led the team with 13 sacks during the 2017 season.