Vikings’ Griffen out with mental-health issues
Last week, the Minnesota Vikings were concerned enough about Everson Griffen's state of mind that they barred the three-time Pro Bowl defensive end from practice until he had a mental health evaluation.
After a scary series of incidents on Saturday, Griffen remained away from the team on Tuesday and out of action indefinitely. Coach Mike Zimmer said Griffen would not travel with the team to play the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday.
"The only thing we really are concerned about for Everson isn't anything to do with football. It's about him getting better," Zimmer said. "Obviously he's going through some tough times now."
According to police in Minnetrista, the Minneapolis suburb where he lives, Griffen made comments about people trying to kill him. He eventually was transported by ambulance to an area hospital for his well-being, despite jumping out of the vehicle at one point during a brief stop. He was never arrested or suspected of committing any crimes.
"I just hope for the best for him," Zimmer said.
Among the items in Saturday's police report:
• Vikings executive director of player development Les Pico met Griffen at a hotel in downtown Minneapolis, where Griffen had created a disturbance in the lobby and threatened violence.
• Vikings director of security Kim Klawiter requested a welfare check for Griffen's wife, Tiffany, and their three children after a recent pattern of erratic and disruptive behavior at team headquarters had caused concern.
• Officer Michael Kokesh met with Griffen's wife, who told him that Griffen got up in the middle of the night on Sept. 16 and left the house, which he has done before in attempt to deal with "demons in his head." Griffen was gone for several days during the week, at one point sending his wife a text message that referenced suicide. The Bengals are expected to sign Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen had been involved in a series of incidents that prompted the team to ban him from practice and seek help for the player.
Cincinnati native and former Taft High School star Adolphus Washington from the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, pending a physical on Wednesday.
Washington, a 6-foot4, 295-pound defensive tackle who played at Ohio State, was a thirdround pick by Buffalo in 2016. The Bills released Washington this month after he totaled 56 tackles and 3½ sacks in 31 career games.
Washington would bolster depth on the interior line after defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow went down with a season-ending knee injury at Carolina on Sunday. Defensive tackle Michael Johnson (left knee) hasn't played since the season opener at Indianapolis.
Pittsburgh tight end Vance McDonald insists he wasn't sending some sort of message when used his right hand to drive Tampa Bay cornerback Chris Conte to the turf on Monday night.
But it was a show of force that sprung McDonald for a 75-yard touchdown reception and seemed to snap the two-time defending AFC North champions out of an early funk that threatened to swallow their season.
"Just playing big," McDonald said after Pittsburgh held on for a 30-27 victory.
Plenty of issues remain for the Steelers, who committed 13 penalties for 155 yards, gave up 411 yards passing to Ryan Fitzpatrick and had kicker Chris Boswell miss two more kicks.
But Pittsburgh (1-1-1) played with a sense of urgency it lacked during the opening two weeks, in which it frittered away a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter in a tie at Cleveland and was overwhelmed by Kansas City.
"That was a total team win, all the phases, and that's what Steeler football is about," said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for 353 yards and three scores, and led Pittsburgh to a 30-10 halftime lead.
There were some anxious moments in the fourth quarter after the Buccaneers trimmed the 20-point deficit to three, but the Steelers now head to Baltimore (2-1) with some momentum.
• Quarterback Jameis Winston's three-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy ended Tuesday, the first day he was permitted to return to the Buccaneers' training facility and have contact with coaches and teammates. Coach Dirk Koetter declined to say whether Winston or Fitzpatrick will start on Sunday at Chicago. Fitzpatrick has thrown for more than 400 yards in a league-record three consecutive games as the Bucs started 2-1.
• The Tennessee Titans added quarterback Austin Davis, with Marcus Mariota dealing with an injured elbow and backup Blaine Gabbert in the concussion protocol. Davis joins his sixth NFL team since entering the league in 2012, including a stint with Cleveland in 2015.
• Los Angeles Rams cornerback Aqib Talib will be out for an unspecified time after having surgery Thursday to repair an ankle injury.