Vikings Coach Shares Why He Offered Viral Encouragement to Colts' Anthony Richardson

Kevin O'Connell won widespread praise for his kind words.

Kevin O'Connell in 2024. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell's stock has risen dramatically in 2024—and not just on the sidelines.

On Thursday, video circulated from NFL Films depicting O'Connell offering words of encouragement to recently benched Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson after the Vikings' 21–13 win Sunday. The coach, once a backup quarterback himself, won praise for his class.

Elaborating on his words Friday, O'Connell told reporters [via ESPN's Kevin Seifert] that he wanted Richardson to know how he felt.

"Whether it meant something to him, or not, didn't matter. And I think it's a good thing for everybody in society to do. If you've got the ability to help somebody else in circumstances that maybe as they're working through it are less than ideal, but there is a road and a path—a rather large one in my opinion to him having have a very, very successful NFL career—[you should]," O'Connell said.

Richardson was benched after completing just 10 of his 32 pass attempts on Oct. 27 in a 23–20 loss to the Houston Texans.

"I'm just a big fan, and if you have something to say to uplift somebody else, you might as well say it and not keep it to yourself," O'Connell said.

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