Minneapolis reaches $475,000 settlement with former Vikings DT Tom Johnson

The Minneapolis City Council has agreed to terms on a settlement in a lawsuit brought against the city by former Vikings defensive tackle Tom Johnson.

By a unanimous 12-0 vote, the council on Friday approved a settlement payment of $475,000 to Johnson and his attorneys. Johnson sued the city in 2017 over a 2014 incident in which he claimed off-duty Minneapolis police officers violated his constitutional rights by assaulting and falsely arresting him.

In the lawsuit, Johnson claimed he was waiting for the valet to return his car at Seven Nightclub when two off-duty police officers pepper-sprayed him and deployed a Taser on him.

According to police records, on Oct. 6, 2014, police arrested Johnson after they forced him out of a downtown Minneapolis bar around closing time. He was charged with misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct.

Johnson played defensive tackle for the Vikings from 2014-18.