Vikings Suspend OC Wes Phillips After 2023 Traffic Stop Resolved, per Report

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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In the aftermath of some December legal troubles, Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips has received his punishment.

The Vikings have suspended Phillips for three weeks without pay, according to a Tuesday morning report from Kevin Seifert of ESPN. Phillips, 45, is entering his third year in that role for Minnesota.

"Starts today, concludes 4/22," Seifert wrote.

Phillips was arrested Dec. 8 on suspicion of driving while intoxicated; he pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving on Feb. 15.

"The last thing I would ever want to do is detract from the attention being on the great things these guys do on the field," Phillips said in December. "So that was unfortunate. I do believe in being accountable, and learning from your mistakes, accepting whatever discipline that may come down the road, growing from it and going forward with a positive attitude."

In 2023, the Vikings finished 22nd and 10th in the league in scoring and total offense, respectively.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .