Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips was contrite on Tuesday in his first public comments since being arrested for driving while intoxicated on Friday night.
“Aside from the standards I have for myself, I do understand as a coach in this league, there are certain standards from the NFL and the Vikings. I didn’t live up to those standards,” Phillips said. “The last thing I would ever want to do is detract from the attention being on the great things that these guys do on the field. So that was unfortunate. I do believe in being accountable, learning from your mistakes, accepting whatever discipline may come down the road and growing from it.”
Despite his arrest, the Vikings allowed Phillips to travel with the team to Las Vegas for Sunday’s game. Asked if he’ll be with the Vikings on Saturday at Cincinnati, Phillips said that’s not for him to say.
“I’m not the one who’s going to make that decision,” Phillips said “I’m just going to keep coaching until they tell me otherwise.”
Phillips will likely be suspended by the NFL once an investigation is completed. The reality of the coaching business, however, is that whether he keeps his job into 2024 will have less to do with his arrest than whether Phillips can help the Vikings’ turn around from its ugly performance in Sunday’s 3-0 win.
