Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings fans react during the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
About four months ago, Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips was arrested on suspicion of DWI in the Twin Cities a couple of days before his team traveled to Las Vegas for a game with the Raiders.
Many wondered if any consequence would emerge from the incident, and this week, the Vikings delivered a verdict. Phillips will be suspended for three weeks without pay.
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert tweeted Tuesday, “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.”
The punishment sidelines the offensive coach during the lead-up to this month’s pivotal draft and should resolve the matter on the whole.
After the incident, Phillips expressed regret, “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.”
Phillips’ blood-alcohol content on the night of the infraction was 0.10, a notch above the 0.08 legal limit.
“That was unfortunate from me, I do believe in being accountable and learning from your mistakes, accepting whatever discipline may come down the road, and growing from it and going forward with a positive attitude,” Phillips added.
In the aftermath of the incident, it was unclear if the NFL or the Vikings, as a team, would handle any discipline, and the latter materialized for a resolution.
Phillips joined the Vikings in 2022 at the dawn of the Kevin O’Connell era, a carryover from O’Connell’s Los Angeles Rams days. He’s served as the offensive coordinator since and even turned down other playcalling interviews during the 2023 coaching carousel.
The 45-year-old also said in December about the transgression, “At this point, it doesn’t really matter where I was at. The important thing is just to learn from the mistakes that were made and move forward. I’m just going to keep coaching until they tell me otherwise.”
Phillips pleaded guilty to a lesser reckless driving charge regarding the December incident.
This is his NFL resume to date:
Dallas Cowboys (2007–2010)
Quality Control / Offensive Assistant
Dallas Cowboys (2011–2012)
Assistant Offensive Line Coach
Dallas Cowboys (2013)
Tight Ends Coach
Washington Redskins (2014–2018)
Tight Ends Coach
Los Angeles Rams (2019–2020)
Tight Ends Coach
Los Angeles Rams (2021)
Tight Ends Coach & Pass Game Coordinator
Minnesota Vikings (2022–present)
Offensive Coordinator
Many fans via social media were quick to call the punishment a “vacation” or “slap on the wrist” because Phillips will miss no regular season time.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.