Vikings ownership releases statement on Spielman/Zimmer firings

There will be a press conference this afternoon

UPDATE: Rick Spielman has released a statement following his firing as well.

I am honored to have been a part of the Minnesota Vikings organization and this incredible community for the past 16 years. The people of this state welcomed me and my family and treated us with the utmost respect throughout our tenure. Michelle and I created many special memories with our children here, and we will always consider Minnesota our home.

Vikings fans, you are some of the most passionate in all of sports. The tremendous game day atmosphere and home field advantage at U.S. Bank Stadium is because of each of you. There is nothing like the emotions we shared together at kickoff each Sunday.

To the Vikings players, coaches and staff, I sincerely appreciate your tireless efforts to win and your dedication to this community and the fan base. There are so many talented people throughout this organization, and because of that, the Vikings will continue to be a special place in the future.

Finally, I want to thank Zygi & Mark Wilf and the entire Wilf family for believing in me and consistently providing the resources for us to be successful as a football operations staff. It is not common in the NFL to be in a position for this long, which goes to show how this ownership group believes in stability and supports their leaders.

While today is emotional, I wish the Minnesota Vikings and Vikings fans nothing but future success.

In light of this morning’s news that the Minnesota Vikings have fired both Head Coach Mike Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman, the team has released a statement. The full text of the statement is as follows:

This morning we met with Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer to notify them we will be moving in a different direction at the general manager and head coach positions in 2022.

We appreciate Rick and Mike’s commitment to the team’s on-field success, their passion for making a positive impact in our community and their dedication to players, coaches and staff. While these decisions are not easy, we believe it is time for new leadership to elevate our team so we can consistently contend for championships. We wish both Rick and Mike and their families only the best.

Our comprehensive search for a new general manager and head coach will begin immediately and will be led internally. We are determined to have sustained success and bring Vikings fans the Super Bowl championships they expect and deserve.

The statement also says that Mark Wilf will be having a press conference this afternoon at 1:00 PM Central time.

I know that the initial story we posted about the firings has gotten a lot of comments so far, so if it starts to bog down a bit the conversation can be moved over here.