Vikings: Brad Childress drama shines negative light on 2009 team

Former Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress took shots at a player of his on talk radio this week, shining a negative light on both he and the team.

Childress coached the Vikings from 2006-10, and he clearly still holds a grudge against one of his former players, linebacker Ben Leber.

As reported by The Viking Age of the FanSided Network, Childress went on sports radio in the Minneapolis area and fired some shots at Leber.

“One more thing, I know you’ve got the guy that coined the word ‘schism’ there with you. Ben Leber, from his Markhart word power, I believe he’s the guy that came up with the ‘schism’ term. I don’t know if he ever stepped underneath that at owned up to that, but you can speak to him later about what exactly a ‘schism’ is,” Childress said.

This dates back to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, which claimed the Vikings had a ‘schism’ in the locker room.

Minnesota Vikings: Ben Leber fires back at Brad Childress

That 2009 team still finished 12-4, so whatever animosity that was in the locker room clearly didn’t impact them too much. Nonetheless, Minnesota did not reach their ultimate goal of a Super Bowl.

Leber wasn’t about to let his name be dragged through the mud.

"“I have no idea what in the hell he’s talking about. I think there’s been some misinformation on his part about my role in what happened at the end of his Vikings tenure that I think he’s grossly, and irresponsibly unaware of, and misconstruing.”I never used the word ‘schism.’ I never invented the word ‘schism.’ If I ever repeated ‘schism’, it was because it made the freaking headlines about the way that the locker room was [and] not from me.”"

All of this feels like it stems from an unhappy exit from Childress, who was fired after the 2010 season. No coach enjoys getting the boot, but eventually they ought to get over it. That’s just life in the NFL.

Instead, Childress is willing to bring up old grudges on a national stage. It’s a bad look for both himself, and the 2009 Vikings.