The Minnesota Vikings had last week off. Entering their bye at 5-0, head coach Mike Zimmer was concerned his club would become complacent over their off time, so he instructed his staff to help him prove a point.
As the Minneapolis Star-Tribunewrites:
Before dismissing his 5-0 team for the bye week, coach Mike Zimmer scattered stuffed animals of the feline variety throughout Winter Park. Their throats were slashed, with some of the white stuffing within seeping out, and were then splattered with red paint.
Hanging on the larger cat in the locker room was a sign that read "Fat Cats Get Slaughtered."
This, one imagines, was basically the NFL version of this:
The Vikings lost to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, 21-10.