The first tough decision by the new regime for the Minnesota Vikings is the firing of longtime athletic trainer Eric Sugarman.
Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reported the news on Monday.
According to Goessling, the decision came down with Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell “putting together their plan for the future of the team.”
That plan obviously didn’t include Sugarman, who had been with the team for the last 16 years.
He took on the job back in 2006 after serving as an assistant athletic trainer for both the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles. So his work in the NFL extends as far back as 1997 before he came on as a head athletic trainer for the Vikings.
The move comes as part of the Vikings change in leadership, as GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell put together their plan for the future of the team.
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) March 7, 2022
This couldn’t have been an easy decision for Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell considering the long history Sugarman has with the team. However, it does show a willingness to do what needs to be done in hopes of getting the franchise back on track.
“I am tremendously grateful to the Vikings and the Wilf family for the opportunity to spend 16 years in Minnesota and am proud of our collective efforts to keep players healthy and at their peak performance during that time,” Sugarman said in a statement, via Goessling. “With the added role of infection control officer over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, I took very seriously the responsibility of extending that same level of care to all Vikings staff members. My wife, Heather, our sons Jake and Ben are happy to call Minnesota home. We look forward to the open road ahead.”
More tough decisions are ahead for the new regime with free agency right around the corner.
With the team currently positioned at $15 million over the salary cap, we could see some surprise cuts or outright releases in the coming days.
