Everson Griffen does not know when he will return to the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings defensive end recently posted a message on his Instagram account where he apologized for this recent actions and thanked everyone for their support.

Prior to their Week 4 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, the Minnesota Vikings announced that a few of their players would not be playing in the contest. One of those who sat out the game for the Vikings was veteran defensive end Everson Griffen.

Griffen has not participated in any of Minnesota’s team activities since they tied the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. After some of his actions last weekend caused concern for his friends and family, the defensive end checked himself into a hospital and has been working on improving his mental health.

Nothing has really been heard from Griffen since his interactions with the local Minnesota police last Saturday. But prior to the Vikings’ game on Thursday night, the veteran pass rusher posted a statement on his Instagram account.

Minnesota Vikings

"“This past week’s events have raised many questions and I want to apologize to everyone who was impacted. I am currently focused on resolving personal issues with which I have been dealing (with) for a long time. Once I have had time to address those issues, I hope to share my story with everyone.I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from my family, the Vikings organization, my teammates and our tremendous fan base.I apologize for not being able to take the field with my teammates and do not have an exact timeline for my return. I promise, however, I will return as a much-improved person and player.”"

Although the statement did not provide any new information, it is encouraging to see that Griffen is focused on getting himself better before returning to the field for the Vikings this season.

The most interesting part of his post was when he stated that he did not exactly know when he would be back with Minnesota this year.

Honestly, if Griffen needs the rest of the season to get his mind back in order, then that is something the Vikings must accept and they will have figure out a way to make up for his absence on the field. The defensive end’s mental health is priority number one at this moment in time, not football.

While it would be surprising if Griffen did not return to the field this year, it would also be understandable. There is no common fix for improving someone’s mental health and the recovery period is different for everyone.

Even though it looks like Minnesota could use his help on defense right now, Griffen needs to take as much time as possible to get his mind back to a healthy level.