Vikings suspend offensive coordinator after careless driving plea deal

On Tuesday, the Minnesota Vikings suspended offensive coordinator Wes Phillips for three weeks without pay after the assistant coach pleaded guilty to careless driving last month.

Phillips will be eligible to return to work on April 23 in time for the NFL draft, which starts April 25.

On Dec. 8, police pulled Phillips over for speeding on Interstate 394 in Minneapolis. His blood alcohol level tested .10%. The legal state limit is .08%.

ESPN reported that Phillips pleaded guilty to careless driving in February. He was ordered to pay a fine of $300 and perform eight hours of community service. His initial charge was misdemeanor operation of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol. After he was arrested, he posted $300 bond before traveling with the team to face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14. He coached the last five games of the Vikings’ season.

‘Aside from the standards 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, and I didn’t live up to those standards,’ Phillips said in December, according to ESPN. ‘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. … 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.’

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Phillips became the Vikings’ offensive coordinator in 2022, following head coach Kevin O’Connell from the Los Angeles Rams. He won Super Bowl 56 as the pass game coordinator/tight ends coach for the Rams. Under his leadership with the Vikings in 2022, wide receiver Justin Jefferson had an All-Pro season in which he led the league in receptions (128) and yards (1,809). Quarterback Kirk Cousins and tight end T.J. Hockenson also each earned Pro Bowl berths. Cousins tore his Achilles last season, which led the Vikings to start four different quarterbacks. Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, so the Vikings are assessing their quarterback options in the draft after landing Sam Darnold in free agency.

In his latest mock draft, USA TODAY Sports’ NFL editor Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has the Vikings taking Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the No. 4 pick in a projected trade with the Arizona Cardinals.