Inside The Vikings

Vikings Suspend OC Wes Phillips For 3 Weeks For December Incident

Phillips' suspension will take place this month and wrap up before the draft.

Will Ragatz

Dec 10, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips reacts
Dec 10, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips reacts / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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The Vikings have suspended offensive coordinator Wes Phillips for three weeks without pay, following the legal resolution of his December 2023 DWI arrest. His suspension begins on Tuesday and concludes on April 22nd.

Phillips was pulled over by Minnesota State Patrol on the evening of December 8, blew a 0.10, and was charged with misdemeanor DWI. In February, he pled guilty to an amended charge of careless driving, which required him to pay a small fine and do eight hours of community service. Now he has also received discipline from the Vikings.

"It's very important that, as coaches, we understand where we're setting the bar for our organization and for our players, and Wes knows he fell short of that," head coach Kevin O'Connell said at the time. "I think it's a lesson for all of us. No matter whatever you think, this amount or that amount, you have to have a plan and make sure, because it was something we were all very disappointed in."

Phillips will be away from the Vikings' TCO Performance Center for the next three weeks, missing an important stretch of draft preparation. He'll return to work on the week of the draft.

The 45-year-old Phillips is going into his third year as the Vikings' offensive coordinator. The son of former NFL head coach Wade Phillips and grandson of Bum Phillips, he previously overlapped with O'Connell as an assistant coach with the Rams and Commanders. Phillips also coached with the Cowboys and several college programs earlier in his career.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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