In an effort to warn against complacency, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer reportedly placed a bunch of stuffed toys — kittens, apparently — around the team's clubhouse prior to last Sunday's game against the Eagles.
The message for the then-unbeaten Vikings was delivered with this: “Fat Cats Get Slaughtered.”
Someone took that way too literally. Reports say some of the toy cats were found mutilated with red paint on them.
A motivational stunt gone awry for sure, but Zimmer felt compelled to declare it wasn't him who ripped apart the stuffed animals.
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“I want to set the record straight on an erroneous report that I feel like attacked my character and reputation,” Zimmer told reporters (via St. Paul Pioneer Press ). “I had nothing to do with that. The stuffed animals I did have here were given to charity and Toys for Tots. I just want to make sure we get the record straight because my foundation website is getting things saying, ‘Your dad’s crazy, blah, blah, blah; all this stuff. I do a lot of crazy stuff but I’ll admit to it.”
OK.