EAGAN, Minn. -- Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips acknowledged Tuesday that he let down the team and league following his arrest last weekend for misdemeanor operation of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.
"Aside from the standards I have for myself," Phillips said, "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. 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. So that was unfortunate. 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."
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, Phillips was stopped on I-394 in Minneapolis last Friday at approximately 9:45 p.m. CT. He showed signs of impairment and ultimately his blood alcohol content tested at 0.10. The legal limit in Minnesota is 0.08. Phillips was booked into the Hennepin County jail at 11 p.m. CT and was released at 1:26 a.m. after posting a $300 bond, according to jail records. He has an initial court appearance scheduled for Dec. 21.
Phillips accompanied the team to Las Vegas and performed his normal duties in its 3-0 victory over the Raiders. Afterwards, coach Kevin O'Connell said he was "incredibly disappointed" and said that the team "will continue to kind of process the information as we move forward and work through whatever discipline there may be at that point."
Phillips, 44, is the son and grandson of former NFL coaches. His father is Wade Phillips and his grandfather is Bum Phillips.
"Things like this happen, when they happen, there can be some times when you feel like crawling into a hole," Wes Phillips said. "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."