Kevin O’Connell Breaks Silence on J.J. McCarthy’s Return to Practice After Welcoming First Child Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell on J.J. McCarthy’s return to practice after welcoming first child, highli

J.J. McCarthy couldn’t have asked for a better start to his first season as the Vikings’ starting quarterback. The rookie secured his inaugural win dramatically, leading Minnesota to a 27-24 comeback victory over the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 1. “There’s no way to deny, we don’t win this game unless J.J. plays the way he did in the second half,” Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said following the win over the Chicago Bears .

O’Connell reported that McCarthy approached him on Thursday and requested to leave practice early to take Kuropas to the hospital. “You don’t ever have to ask me to go for something like that,” O’Connell said in praise of the young quarterback’s dedication to family without any compromise on professional duties.

O’Connell commented