There are many sorts of violence and crime amongst teams in the National Football League, but one team stands out in the headlines more than any other, the Minnesota Vikings. Throughout the Minnesota Viking history, many things have gone on in the private lives of the player. Many crimes, much gossip and drama have occurred over the years. This article is going to highlight the biggest crimes and a couple of the most ironic and/or unknown stories.
Ever since 2001, the Minnesota Vikings have held the title of being the #1 in crime counts between the years. Many have heard of Adrian Peterson. Peterson was charged with child abuse in 2014 after his 4 year-old son was found with bruises, scars, and many different wounds.
In fact, according to data from nflarrest.com, there have been 55 players involved in criminal activity from the Vikings in the past 22 years. About 40% of the crimes are driving under the influence. The most recent example is from Jayron Kearse in 2019. Kearse was also found with an unlicensed loaded handgun in his car.
One Viking controversy involved 4 players and was known as the “Minnesota Vikings Love Boat Scandal.” One of the players, cornerback Fred Smoot, was found wasting $80,000 on two large houseboats on Lake Minnetonka on October 6 2005. Smoot arranged workers from all around the country including Atlanta, New York, Texas, Miami and Los Angeles. About 100 women actually showed up to the “event.” Moe Williams was also found in the “Love boat” situation and was found guilty of disorderly conduct, 30 hours community service, and a $300 fine. Out of all crimes there have been 117 drug arrests, 81 assault arrests, 108 domestic violence arrests, and 47 disorderly conduct arrests. Despite all their horrendous crimes over the years, the Minnesota Vikings team is still worth a surprising whopping $3.35B and continues to grow every year. It seems pretty outrageous that with everything that has gone on in this NFL team, it is still favored by thousands of fans every day.