EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Tom Johnson, who was arrested early Sunday morning after he refused to leave a Minneapolis steakhouse at closing time, practiced Tuesday and is on track to play Sunday, coach Mike Zimmer said.
Zimmer would not address the details of Johnson's arrest, saying the team was still gathering information. When asked if Johnson's status for Sunday would change because of the arrest, Zimmer said, "As of right now, no."
Johnson was arrested Sunday morning and charged with misdemeanor counts of trespassing and disorderly conduct. Police used chemical spray and a stun gun to subdue Johnson after he was uncooperative, according to a police report.
Johnson's agent, Bardia Ghahremani, released a statement late Sunday night saying he and Johnson were confident the charges were "baseless," adding they would "move forward with the appropriate legal action" after clearing Johnson's name.
The 30-year-old Johnson deferred questions to his attorney Tuesday, other than to say, "People in authority should be accountable. If they do something, they should be accountable just like everyone else."
When asked about his status for Sunday's game, Johnson said everything is "business as usual."
David Koch, the manager of Seven steakhouse in Minneapolis, said security staff at his restaurant called two off-duty police officers -- John Laluzerne and Patrick McCarver, who work as security officers at Seven -- after Johnson refused to wait outside while the restaurant's valet staff retrieved his car.
After talking with Minneapolis police and his security staff, Koch said he did not believe Johnson was intoxicated, adding the defensive tackle "seemed like a very nice man." He called the officers "two of the best in Minneapolis," adding police used pepper spray on Johnson after became confrontational.
"I think he felt he was being picked on," Koch said. "That's not the case. ... He didn't want to listen to security, and that's when the escalation started. "He's a big man. People on the force are taught to be careful in whatever way they need to."
According to a statement released by Johnson's agent, Johnson was waiting to pick up his car from the restaurant's valet service when it closed at 2 a.m., when security asked him to leave. Security called the two off-duty officers when Johnson questioned the request, and the officers asked Johnson to leave; according to the statement, Johnson asked why he was being told to leave when other patrons were still in the restaurant.
One of the officers used pepper spray on Johnson as he was exiting the restaurant, according to the statement. Johnson received water and a towel from a security guard after being sprayed, according to the statement, and he knocked on the door to thank the security guard and give him some money for his help.
He took a picture at 2:31 of the officer who sprayed him, called a car service to drive him home two minutes later and was approached by the officer outside the restaurant, who began asking Johnson for identification at 2:38. Ghahremani released a videotape of the exchange, which allegedly came from Johnson's cell phone and shows the defensive lineman asking the officer if he felt good about hitting Johnson with pepper spray. The video then shows the officer demanding ID from Johnson and knocking his cell phone out of his hand; Ghahremani's statement said the officer struck Johnson on the hand and arm, and then used a taser on Johnson as he reached for his phone on the ground. Johnson was arrested shortly thereafter.
Ghahremani said Johnson was at the restaurant with several of his teammates, and was planning to go home after his teammates departed for another location. David Valentini, Johnson's attorney, said he plans to deal with the criminal aspect of Johnson's case first, before deciding whether to file a complaint with Minneapolis police.
"You saw the video he took," Valentini said. "It sure doesn't seem like he was doing anything wrong. He's not raising his voice. There's nothing wrong with videotaping an officer."
Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder said the department had seen the video through "a great number of people who have decided to share the information," but would not comment on it.
"This is in the court system right now," Elder said. "It would be inappropriate for us to comment. He's got the right to make whatever comment he likes."