Vikings Arrested In Fight Near Club

Lisa Donovan And Sean Jensen, Pioneer Press, twincities.com, Jun. 7

Three young and promising Minnesota Vikings, two of whom are no strangers to trouble with the law, were arrested outside a downtown Minneapolis club early Sunday after police officers allegedly saw them punching, kicking and stomping on a man as he lay unconscious on the ground.

The men could be charged with felony assault, and their futures with the team are shaky. The arrests of linebackers E.J. Henderson, 23, of Grand Prairie, Texas, and Michael Nattiel, 23, of Archer, Fla., and tight end Steven Farmer, 24, of Michigan City, Ind., adds another knot in a string of legal problems for the football team in the last few years.

The latest incident unfolded at the 2 a.m. bar-closing time Sunday outside Tabu Club and Lounge, 323 First Ave. N., in the city’s Warehouse District.

“What we know is the victim was knocked unconscious, and the suspects that would be arrested continued to stomp on him, on his head,” said Minneapolis police spokesman Ron Reier.

The victim, identified as Troy Lamont Jones, 32, of Brooklyn Center, was taken by ambulance to Hennepin County Medical Center, police said. He was discharged sometime Sunday, hospital officials said. He could not be reached for comment.

The players, along with a fourth suspect, James Eugene Boykin, 31, of Archer, Fla., were booked into the Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault, a felony. The county attorney is to decide this week, possibly as soon as today, whether to press charges.

The three players all posted $30,000 bail and were released Sunday from jail. Boykin remained jailed Sunday night in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Nattiel had no comment as he walked out of the downtown Minneapolis jail, but attorney Bill Mauzy, who was asked by the Vikings to represent all three players, spoke to the men earlier in the day.

“Their version of last night’s events differs greatly from the police department,” Mauzy said. “They maintain they were defending themselves, defending their friends.

“We intend to investigate this thoroughly, to talk to as many witnesses as possible to get a better picture of what happened,” Mauzy said.

He had no details about where the players had been in the hours leading up to the fight and what sparked the violence outside the club.

Steve Farmer.

A source who talked to a witness said Henderson and Nattiel left Tabu with a designated driver. As they were driving off, they saw a man beating teammate Farmer in front of the club.

Nattiel and Henderson jumped out of the vehicle and attacked the man, and they continued to pummel him as police arrived, the source said.

Mauzy said Farmer was injured in the fracas, suffering a swollen left eye and bruised lips. The Vikings are expected to take pictures of Farmer’s facial injuries.

Vikings coach Mike Tice said Sunday evening he didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but he seemed inclined to make a strong statement to Nattiel and Henderson, second-year players who have already gotten into trouble. Tice has talked to the players repeatedly and is so frustrated with them that he’s going to call their parents in an effort to get through to the men.

“We’re going to evaluate all the facts of this case,” Tice said, “but it’s certainly important to note that we will not allow the same players to continue and make the same mistakes.”

Henderson, who was set to replace the retired Greg Biekert as middle linebacker, has a June 24 trial date in a Maryland court on several charges, including drunken driving, stemming from an April 10 arrest. Henderson also had a DUI charge dropped while at the University of Maryland.

Nattiel was arrested on two counts of misdemeanor drunken driving last July 25 in Golden Valley, hours before he reported to training camp in Mankato. He pleaded guilty to careless driving Sept. 23 and was sentenced to 30 days in the county workhouse, with his sentence stayed for one year.

Henderson and Nattiel could face fines and suspension from the NFL. In the past, Tice levied hefty fines on receiver Randy Moss, defensive tackle Kevin Williams and defensive end Kenny Mixon after various off-the-field offenses, but the team had to return checks to Mixon and Williams because the NFL Players Association prohibits coaches from fining players for such infractions. (Moss’ fine stood because he missed team meetings.)

But Tice could hurt the players even more.

He said he hasn’t made a decision, but he’s considering releasing Farmer and demoting the other two.

Tice said he has gone to great lengths to prevent players from getting into trouble, including several attempts this past week. The Vikings, who opened a mandatory mini-camp at Winter Park on Tuesday and resume practices today, made rookies and first-year players attend a seminar Wednesday with a Minneapolis lawyer, who identified locations and clubs they should avoid.

Tice also scheduled a practice for last Friday to discourage players from leaving the Twin Cities for the weekend.

This weekend’s arrests mark the latest fiasco for the football team in recent years.

In 2002, Moss was arrested after using his car to shove a Minneapolis traffic control agent out of his way. Moss was charged with three misdemeanors and two petty misdemeanors in the incident. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor careless driving and petty misdemeanor obstructing traffic. The three other charges were dropped.

In 2003, the Vikings’ charity snowmobile fund-raiser, Arctic Blast, became a drunken debacle and was linked to two criminal sexual conduct charges against a former player and a drunken driving charge, later downgraded to careless driving, against a team executive.

Mixon was arrested last year for driving under the influence—his third such arrest in little more than a year. He was convicted of DUI in two of those cases.