Keep your stuffed animals away from the Minnesota Vikings locker room.
Head coach Mike Zimmer left stuffed animals - felines, specifically - scattered throughout Winter Park prior to the Vikings' bye week, according to Matt Ventel of the Star Tribune. Someone in the locker room then staged a murder scene with the cats that involved slashing their throats, covering them with red paint, and leaving a sign on one that read "Fat Cats Get Slaughtered."
It's unclear who did the slashing (Vensel later clarified it wasn't Zimmer), but regardless, the motivation tactic didn't work. The Vikings went on to suffer their first defeat of the season Sunday, 21-10 to the Philadelphia Eagles.