Everson Griffen, who already has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, is not expected to return to the Minnesota Vikings "anytime soon," according to one league source, as the Pro Bowl defensive end tends to his mental health.
How long Griffin will be away from the Vikings remains uncertain. Another source told ESPN that Griffen "could be back next week or could never play again; you just don't know when it comes to mental health."
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, when asked this past week about Griffen's status, said he has received "no clarity" regarding when the 30-year-old would return.
Griffen has been away from the Vikings since Sept. 20, when he was told by the team to focus on getting himself the help he needed. According to a Minnetrista, Minnesota, police incident report, Les Pico, the Vikings' executive director of player development, told police that Griffen had been "explosive, screaming and yelling" at the team facility and that he had been struggling in recent weeks.
Then on Sept. 22, Griffen was involved in an incident at Hotel Ivy in downtown Minneapolis, where he had been staying for several days, in which he allegedly threatened to shoot someone if he was not allowed in his room. Griffen was later involved in a separate incident where he showed up at Vikings cornerback Trae Waynes' home and allegedly attempted to enter, according to the police report, an allegation that Waynes denied in a statement issued by the Vikings.
Asked by police why he went to Waynes' home, Griffen said that "God made me do it" and later agreed to go to the hospital. The reporting officer placed a health and welfare hold on Griffen "based upon his actions and information I had acquired about him."
He has not been barred from the Vikings' training facility, multiple sources told ESPN's Courtney Cronin last month, contrary to information in the police incident report.
Griffen posted on Instagram in late September that he does not have an exact timetable for his return but would come back as a "much-improved person and player."
ESPN's Courtney Cronin contributed to this report.