Will George Edwards lose recommendation to be a head coach after DWI arrest?


Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards last season was among six assistants the Fritz Pollard Alliance recommended to be an NFL head coach.

Edwards, 49, was arrested last May on suspicion of drunk driving and pleaded guilty in August to a misdemeanor charge of careless driving. Could that lead to Edwards no longer being recommended as a head coach?

Before any decision is made, Fritz Pollard Alliance chairman John Wooten said Wednesday he needs to speak to Edwards and NFL officials about the incident, and also find out if Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and coach Mike Zimmer are still recommending Edwards for possible advancement.

The Fritz Pollard Alliance works with the league on minority hiring, and sends a list of recommended coaching candidates each December to NFL teams. The Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for each head-coaching position.

“I heard about (the incident Tuesday) for the first time,’’ Wooten said. “I want to talk to Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer and see what their thoughts are, and whether they still support him in moving up the line. I don’t know the situation with the league. They generally take a strong stand on this kind of thing, even more so for coaches and front-office people.’’

The Fritz Pollard Alliance must make a decision on whether to again recommend Edwards by December.

Wooten did commend the job Edwards has done this season with the 5-0 Vikings, who rank first in the NFL in scoring defense and second in total defense. While Zimmer calls the plays, he spoke well Wednesday about Edwards' role with the defense.

"He does a whole ton of things for me that I don’t have to do,'' Zimmer said. "We talk about things all of the time as far as game plans. He goes through a lot of the research tape that I really don’t have time to do and we talk about of different things. But George is a very smart guy. He’s very diligent about his work. He cares about making sure his side of the ball performs very well.''

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