Vikings OC Faces a 3-Week Suspension
Back in December, Vikings OC Wes Phillips was arrested for a misdemeanor DWI.
At the time, little was made of the arrest, and Phillips was allowed to travel with the team for their Week 14 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, it appears that the consequences of the arrest have officially come for the offensive coordinator, and he is facing a three-week suspension without pay prior to the draft.
Vikings OC Wes Phillips Suspended
Kevin Seifert of ESPN reported the news on Tuesday morning, tweeting, “The Vikings have suspended offensive coordinator Wes Phillips for 3 weeks without pay following the legal resolution of a 2023 traffic stop in Minneapolis. Starts today, concludes 4/22.”
As a result, Phillips will not be with the Vikings as they make their final preparations for this spring’s draft, but he will re-join the team three days before the event officially begins on April 25th.
After the incident, Phillips owned up to his actions, “Aside from the standards that I have for myself, I do understand that as a coach in this league, there are certain standards from the NFL and from the Minnesota Vikings. I didn’t live up to those standards. The last thing I would ever want to do is detract from the attention being on the great things that these guys do on the field.”
The Vikings also released a statement on the matter back in December, “Wes immediately notified the team following his arrest last night. This morning we contacted the NFL, and after internal discussion, made the decision Wes will travel with the team to Las Vegas this afternoon. We will continue to gather information regarding the incident and have further comment at the appropriate time.”
Phillips joined the Vikings during the 2022 offseason, being one of the first hires to Kevin O’Connell’s coaching staff. The Vikings OC spent time coaching the tight ends with the Los Angeles Rams while O’Connell was the offensive coordinator. The two won a Super Bowl together during the 2021 season.
During his first two years as OC working under O’Connell, the Vikings have ranked among the top 10 teams in terms of total yards in each season. After ranking eighth in scoring during the 2022 season, Minnesota finished the 2023 season in 22nd.
Phillips turned 45 years old on February 17th.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.