Vikings Coach Arrested Ahead of Raiders Game
Wes Phillips, the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, was arrested two days before his team’s crucial Week 14 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
On Friday, December 8, authorities arrested Phillips and charged him with driving under the influence of alcohol, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert, who cited Hennepin County Jail records in his report. DWI is classified as a misdemeanour under Minnesota law.
The Vikings issued a statement on Phillips’ arrest on Saturday, stating that the coach will still travel with the team to Sunday’s game in Las Vegas.
“Wes notified the team immediately following his arrest last night,” the Vikings said, according to ESPN. “We contacted the NFL this morning, and after internal discussion, we decided Wes will travel with the team to Las Vegas this afternoon.” We will continue to gather information about the incident and will have more to say when the time comes.”
Minnesota (6-6) has lost two straight games and is coming off a bye week as it battles for an NFC Wild Card playoff spot.
Phillips’ arrest is a distraction that the Vikings don’t need as they try to get their offence back on track after scoring just 30 points in their previous two games.
Phillips, along with head coach Kevin O’Connell, is a key component in the effort to get starting quarterback Josh Dobbs back on track after he threw four interceptions against the Chicago Bears last week. After leaving the question of who would start open before the bye week, O’Connell chose to stick with Dobbs against the Raiders.
Dobbs, on the other hand, may be on a short leash given his recent turnover issues and how they have directly impacted Minnesota’s postseason chances.
“Nick Mullens will be ready to go,” O’Connell said to members of the media on December 6. “We’ll prepare Nick the same way we always do… and our entire team knows they can rely on Nick when needed.”
The head coach also mentioned rookie Jaren Hall, who has returned from concussion protocol and is fit to play if called upon.
“Whether it’s Nick or Jaren, I feel like we got three quarterbacks we can win football games with,” O’Connell said in a statement.
The Vikings were in a good position to make the playoffs a few weeks ago. Much has changed since then, but the team still has a better
than even chance of playing into late January.
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI), Minnesota will finish the season with 8.5 wins, which translates to a 50% chance of going 9-8 and the same odds of going 8-9 heading into the weekend. As of Saturday, FPI gave the Vikings a 50.2% chance of making the playoffs.
If the playoffs began today, Minnesota would be the No. 6 seed and would travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers on Wild Card weekend.
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