Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said Tuesday that he hopes to grow from a DWI arrest on Friday night and apologized for not living up to personal and professional standards.
Phillips, 44, was pulled over around 9:45 p.m. Friday for speeding on Interstate 394 in Minneapolis, according to State Patrol. He showed signs of impairment and registered a blood alcohol level of 0.10%. The legal limit in Minnesota is 0.08%. He was charged with misdemeanor driving while impaired.
Phillips, one of head coach Kevin O’Connell’s top assistants, has continued to coach with the team since then, including Sunday’s 3-0 win in Las Vegas and Tuesday’s walkthrough practice.
“Aside from the standards I have for myself, there are certain standards from the NFL and from the Minnesota Vikings, and I didn’t live up to those standards,” Phillips said Tuesday during his first news conference since the arrest. “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. That was unfortunate. I do believe in being accountable and learning from your mistakes, accepting whatever discipline may come down the road and growing from it.”
Phillips, the 17-year NFL assistant and third-generation NFL coach, was asked if he expects to continue coaching without interruption. After Sunday’s win, O’Connell did not commit to Phillips coaching on Saturday in Cincinnati.
“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 was also asked how he intends to grow.
“I would certainly do something differently,” he said. “I wouldn’t have gotten myself in that situation.”
He said he’s also received support.
“A lot of people have reached out from around the league to just tell you to keep your head up,” Phillips said. “There can be some times where you feel like crawling in a hole, but the only way I know how to do it is to face it one day at a time, go back to work and do everything I can to, not make it right, but learn from it and grow.”