Carl Eller Arrested

Former Vikings star Carl Eller was arrested early this morning on charges stemming from a police stop concerning a potential drunk driving arrest that allegedly turned violent. Eller was held in jail last night facing charges of fourth-degree assault on two police officers and DWI.

Former Viking Carl Eller was arrested earlier this morning after being charged with assaulting two Minneapolis police officers.

Eller, 66, was pulled over by officers at the intersection of Eighth Ave. and Russell Ave. N. about 1 a.m. on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Eller refused to consent to a breath test, according to reports, at which point an altercation is alleged to have taken place between Eller and the arresting officers. Eller was booked in Hennepin County Jail around 2:15 a.m. and charged with fourth-degree assault, fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and drunken driving.

VU will follow up on this story as more information becomes available.

WEDNESDAY NOTES
* After almost a week of waiting, the Vikings finally signed Gus Frerotte to a two-year, $3.75 million contract Tuesday. Frerotte, a 14-year veteran, is expected to enter training camp as the No. 2 quarterback on the roster – behind starter Tarvaris Jackson and ahead of veteran backup Brooks Bollinger. Frerotte has been a valuable backup in recent years and has a history of being a solid teacher for young quarterbacks – both Daunte Culpepper and Marc Bulger had the most productive seasons of their careers with Frerotte as their backup and mentor.
* The dates have been finalized for the Vikings' 2008 preseason games. The opponents were set last week, but three of the games were not date-specific. The games will be as follows: vs. Seattle, 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8; at Baltimore, 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16; vs. Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 in a nationally televised game on CBS; and at Dallas at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28. Aside from the Steelers game, the other three Vikings game will be carried by KSTP-TV, the Twin Cities local ABC affiliate.
* There is a movement afoot to oust Gene Upshaw as director of the NFL Players Union. ESPN obtained a copy of an e-mail sent by kicker Matt Stover of the Ravens to other player reps outlining a plan to replace Upshaw as union chief. Many former players have claimed that Upshaw has been too cozy with management and has ignored the plight of former players. Others have balked at Upshaw’s salary – he recently signed a six-year contract worth $4 million a year. The Vikings' Matt Birk publicly disputed the role that Upshaw plays last year when he attended a press conference with Mike Ditka and others to try to raise awareness to the problems facing many former NFL players, who played the game before the NFL became a money-making juggernaut and whose pension benefits are quite small and requests for medical assistance are often denied.
* Two projected first-round draft picks – wide receiver Mario Manningham and cornerback Aqib Talib – admitted to teams at the Combine that they had tested positive for marijuana use. These revelations, especially so close to the draft, could have a huge impact on their draft stock. Recently retired Warren Sapp saw himself go from potentially being the first overall selection in the 1995 draft all the way down to the 12th overall pick due to similar revelations made to NFL teams about his drug use. At the time, Sapp blamed the positive test on second-hand smoke from a party.
* There is talk out of Denver that the Broncos are looking to move out of the 12th spot in the first round of the draft. The Vikings could be an ideal partner for moving up since at least two teams – the Panthers and Lions – that are in between the Vikings and Broncos in the first round have identified defensive end as a position of need. The Vikings currently own the Broncos' third-round draft pick from a trade made last season. That pick would likely be enough to vault the Vikings up to 12th overall if there is a player they covet on the board at Denver’s pick that they’re convinced would be gone by the time the Vikings are slated to choose at No. 17.
* The cost of being a starting quarterback just took another giant turn upward Tuesday as the Jaguars announced that they have extended QB David Garrard, who only became a full-time starter last year, to a six-year deal worth almost $60 million. The deal includes a $9 million signing bonus and $20 million in guaranteed money.