Former NFL Star Kicked Off Delta Flight Releases Statement
Former NFL and Minnesota Vikings star Everson Griffen has publicly addressed being kicked off a Delta Airlines flight recently.
According to TMZ Sports, Griffen was removed from the Delta flight after he allegedly caused a disturbance after takeoff. The plane was forced to reverse course and return to the airport as a result.
The TMZ report adds that a person on the plane said it appeared Griffen was "trying to smoke something in the bathroom," which led to a confrontation with flight attendants.
Griffen has since addressed the situation via a post on his Instagram story (h/t USA TODAY's Natalie Neysa Alund) and it appears he was not arrested for the incident.
"I'm doing just fine," Griffen wrote. "My behavior was not unruly at all. Why would they let me go."
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Delta has also put out a statement on the matter, although the company did not name Griffen specifically and did not go into detail about the events.
"Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior and will always work with law enforcement to that end," the airline said. "We apologize to our customers for the delay in their travel as safety and security comes before everything else at Delta."
The flight, which was going from Chicago to Minneapolis, took off at 11:15 a.m. local time before returning to the airport shortly after noon, per flight tracking website Flight Aware.
Griffen played in the NFL from 2010 through 2021 and earned four Pro Bowl nods in that span and played for the Vikings, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.
In 2021, he admitted in an Instagram post that he is bipolar and has vowed to be an advocate for mental health issues.
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