Updated 12/30/2019: With the arrest of wide receiver Davion Davis on suspicion of DWI, the Vikings have now had 26 players or coaches arrested this decade.
This chart by Reddit user Mario Wolf illustrates NFL arrests by team since 2000 and has been making the Internet rounds lately; it shows that the Minnesota Vikings are tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for most in the league with 40. The chart was brought to my attention by Minnesota Vikings Chatter Monika Melsha (thanks, Monika!).
Business Insider has additional charts, including the months in which NFL arrests occurred. Surprise, it’s during the offseason:
…and by position:
The charts draw on the data compiled by U-T San Diego in their NFL Arrests Database.
The top chart, however, is very deceiving in that it does not reflect the current state of the team at all. The last arrest of a Vikings player, for example, occurred just over a year ago when Adrian Peterson was arrested in a nightclub in Houston for what proved to be trumped up resisting arrest charges that were ultimately dropped. (Updated January 2, 2014.)
In order to provide a fuller picture, therefore, in addition to the Vikings arrests since 2000, courtesy of the NFL Arrests Database, I’ve compiled all the arrests of Vikings players I could find beyond 2000.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, just those that I could find that were verified by media reports. And this list only includes arrests of players who were Vikings at the time they were arrested. For example, as I was researching this, I thought to myself Joe Kapp had to have been arrested and sure enough, he was, for public drunkenness, but he wasn’t on the team at the time, so Kapp doesn’t make the list.
If you know of any that are not on this list, please include them in the comments along with a link to your source for verification. Without further ado, then:
Minnesota Vikings Arrested In The 1970s (3)
- 1975: Vikings reserve center, Scott Anderson, arrested for public intoxication & resisting arrest
- 1977: Cornerback Nate Allen arrested for assaulting an off-duty police officer
- 1977: Defensive end Jim Marshall arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and open bottle
Minnesota Vikings Arrested In The 1980s (12)
- 1983: Linebacker Dennis Johnson arrested for cocaine possession
- 1985: Defensive tackle Tim Newton arrested for Marijuana possession
- 1986: Robert “Big Bird” Smith, a reserve defensive lineman, arrested for cocaine possession during a drug raid on a house
- 1987: Quarterback Rich Gannon arrested for DUI
- 1987: Tight end Steve Jordan arrested for DUI
- 1987: Cornerback Issiac Holt arrested for DUI
- 1987: Quarterback Tommy Kramer arrested for DUI
- 1988: Wide receiver Anthony Carter, cornerback Carl Lee, running back Darryl Harris & Lee’s wife arrested on disorderly conduct charges after a scuffle outside a Minneapolis nightclub
- 1988: Middle Linebacker Ray Berry arrested for DUI
- 1989: Linebacker David Braxton arrested for DUI
Minnesota Vikings Arrested In The 1990s (10)
- 1990: Defensive tackle Keith Millard arrested for DUI
- 1990: Kicker Donald Igwebuike indicted on heroin smuggling charges from his native Nigeria
- 1992: Wide Receiver Hassan Jones arrested for carrying a gun onto a plane
- 1995: Quarterback Warren Moon arrested for assaulting his wife
- 1995: Linebacker Broderick Thomas was arrested at Houston Intercontinental Airport on Friday while trying to board a plane with a firearm
- 1996: Defensive end James Harris arrested for domestic abuse
- 1997: Tight end Greg DeLong & center Jeff Christy arrested for boating while intoxicated on Lake Minnetonka
- 1999: Safety Orlando Thomas arrested for assaulting his wife
- 1999: Running back LeRoy Hoard arrested for possession of a controlled substance
Minnesota Vikings Arrested In The 2000s (30)
- 2000: Wide receiver Chris Walsh arrested for DUI
- 2000: Tight end John Davis arrested on suspicion of drunk driving
- 2002: Defensive end Kenny Mixon arrested for DUI
- 2002: Wide Receiver Randy Moss arrested for careless driving and marijuana possession
- 2003: Defensive end Kenny Mixon arrested for DUI
- 2003: Tackle Bryant McKinnie arrested for obstructing police
- 2003: Linebacker Mike Nattiel arrested for DUI
- 2003: Defensive tackle Kevin Williams arrested for drunken driving
- 2003: Defensive end Kenny Mixon arrested on suspicion of drunken driving
- 2004: Linebacker E.J. Henderson arrested for drunken driving
- 2004: Tight end Steve Farmer arrested after a fight outside a Minneapolis bar
- 2004: Linebacker Mike Nattiel arrested after a fight outside a Minneapolis bar
- 2004: Linebacker E.J. Henderson arrested after a fight outside a Minneapolis bar
- 2005: Wide Receiver Kelly Campbell arrested on weapons and drug charges
- 2005: Defensive tackle Kevin Williams arrested and charged with misdemeanor fifth-degree domestic assault after altercation involving wife
- 2005: Tackle Bryant McKinnie charged with disorderly conduct after scuffle at gas station
- 2005: Guard Marcus Johnson charged with disorderly conduct after scuffle at gas station
- 2005: Running back Moe Williams charged with indecent conduct, disorderly conduct and lewd or lascivious conduct during infamous “Love Boat” party
- 2005: Cornerback Fred Smoot charged with indecent conduct, disorderly conduct and lewd or lascivious conduct during infamous “Love Boat” party
- 2005: Tackle Bryant McKinnie charged with indecent conduct, disorderly conduct and lewd or lascivious conduct during infamous “Love Boat” party
- 2005: Quarterback Daunte Culpepper charged with indecent conduct, disorderly conduct and lewd or lascivious conduct during infamous “Love Boat” party
- 2006: Wide receiver Koren Robinson arrested and charged with fleeing from police, a felony, along with two DWI charges and three other misdemeanors. Also ticketed for driving without valid license
- 2006: Safety Dwight Smith arrested on charges of indecent conduct in downtown Minneapolis
- 2007: Wide receiver Travis Taylor charged with three misdemeanors: fifth-degree assault, disorderly conduct and interfering with pedestrian or vehicular traffic
- 2007: Cornerback Cedric Griffin arrested on disorderly conduct charge in Minneapolis after allegedly being thrown out of nightclub
- 2007: Cornerback Ronyell Whitacker arrested on outstanding misdemeanor warrant for reckless driving. But police were mistaken
- 2007: Safety Dwight Smith cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession after traffic stop
- 2007: Defensive end Darrion Scott cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession
- 2008: Tackle Bryant McKinnie arrested and charged with aggravated battery, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest after street brawl outside Miami club
- 2009: Cornerback Cedric Griffin arrested for DUI
Minnesota Vikings Arrested In The 2010s (26)
- 2011: Defensive end Everson Griffen arrested and charged with public intoxication
- 2011: Defensive end Everson Griffen arrested on suspicion of felony battery
- 2011: Cornerback Chris Cook arrested in Virginia on suspicion of brandishing gun during fight
- 2011: Quarterback Rhett Bomar arrested for DUI
- 2011: Safety Tyrell Johnson arrested for DUI
- 2011: Cornerback Chris Cook arrested on charge of domestic assault
- 2011: Cornerback Benny Sapp cited for misdemeanor assault and careless driving after allegedly chest-bumping security guard
- 2012: Running back Caleb King arrested in relation to assault that fractured a man’s skull
- 2012: Fullback Jerome Felton arrested for DWI
- 2012: Running back Adrian Peterson arrested and charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest at a Houston nightclub
- 2013: Wide receiver Jerome Simpson arrested for DWI
- 2013: Cornerback A. J. Jefferson arrested on suspicion of domestic assault
- 2013: Middle linebacker Erin Henderson arrested for DWI
- 2014: Middle linebacker Erin Henderson arrested for DWI
- 2014: Running back Adrian Peterson for child endangerment
- 2014: Defensive Tackle Tom Johnson arrested for disorderly conduct. Johnson was acquitted by a jury and subsequently sued the Minneapolis police officers involved in the incident for excessive force, false arrest and unreasonable seizure.
- 2014: Wide receiver Jerome Simpson cited for marijuana possession and DWI
- 2015: Cornerback Jabari Price for DWI
- 2016: Offensive lineman Isame Faciane arrested for DWI
- 2016: Defensive coordinator George Edwards arrested for DWI
- 2017: Wide receiver Michael Floyd jailed for one day for violating terms of his house arrest
- 2018: Linebacker Antwione Williams for DWI
- 2018: Wide receiver Cayleb Jones arrested on suspicion of domestic assault, theft and interfering with a 911 phone call.
- 2019: Running back Roc Thomas charged with felony possession of marijuana after police found more than 143 grams in his apartment.
- 2019: Safety Jayron Kearse arrested for DWI and possesion of a loaded firearm without a permit.
- 2019: Wide receiver Davion Davis was arrested for DWI after being stopped on October 26.