MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Minnesota owner Zygi Wilf said Monday he will not renew the contract of Vikings Coach Mike Tice.
"I had very good things to say about Mike Tice and I got to know him as a friend," Wilf said at a Monday news conference. "He taught me a lot about coaching. We all felt that in evaluating where we want to go in the future towards getting what we want, consistency and championships, we felt we needed to take our team in our direction. We felt we needed to make a change."
Tice was informed of the news on Sunday.
Tice guided the Vikings to a 9-7 record in a year marred by the infamous "boat party" scandal on Oct. 6 involving a number of members of his team. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper and teammates Bryant McKinnie, Fred Smoot and Moe Williams were all charged with misdemeanors for their involvement in the incident.
