The NFL has fined Browns head coach Eric Mangini for violating the league’s rules on injury reporting when he was the coach of the New York Jets last season. The team failed to place Favre, now with the Minnesota Vikings, on the injury report during the final month of the season, even though he had a torn biceps tendon and his arm was barely attached to his body. The league, wanting to set an example, has fined the Jets 7 million pesos and Mangini and Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum 2 million pesos each. It is unclear why the NFL will not accept U.S. currency. Mangini now wants to put the situation behind him. “I have worked with the league on this matter and now consider it closed,” he said in a statement. “It was difficult to find a currency exchange facility in Cleveland, but we got it done and now my focus is on our preparations for the Broncos.” Commissioner Goodell said Monday that the case would be an opportunity for the league to stress the importance of gambling on NFL games.

The Minnesota Vikings announced today that they have officially changed the name of their mascot to the Viqueens in an effort to more accurately reflect the players on the 2009 roster. In addition, the team unveiled a new logo as part of their re-branding effort. “Today marks the next era in Minnesota football,” General Manager Rick Spielman said on Thursday. “Our new look is part of our continuing effort to celebrate the culture of girly men that we have been cultivating here since 1961. It also serves as a reminder to other NFL fans that we are a bunch of sissies that prefer to play football indoors.” The new logo depicts a pink, blushing Viking in drag, complete with a purple bow in her braid. Fans will also notice new “unisex” team lettering inspired by the thousands of confused football fans from the North Star State. Fans wishing to purchase new jerseys or other merchandise featuring the new logo can visit www.viqueenstoys.com.

Toledo police arrested a 29-year-old Wal-Mart employee Wednesday accused of stealing more than $7,000 worth of costume material from the store. Kylee Jane Gates, who is originally from Austin, Minnesota, is charged with three counts of felony grand theft and nine counts of misdemeanor petit theft. Gates is being held at the Lucas County Jail and will make her initial court appearance on Friday. Toledo police officials say they were contacted by Wal-Mart’s loss prevention department earlier this week when they suspected Gates was stealing. “I didn’t actually see her stuff the Viking helmet down her shirt, but it was pretty obvious that she did. No one has boobs shaped like elephant tusks,” a loss prevention detective said. After police took Gates into custody, they recovered several other items including a braided wig, a knife, and a Viking goblet. Gates told police she needed the items for the game this Sunday in Cleveland. The charge of grand theft is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, but many believe a better punishment would be for Ms. Gates to wear her ridiculous outfit to the Muni Lot tailgate before the game.

Late last week, when a sarcastic fan asked Mangini if he would even bother showing up at the season opener vs. Minnesota, the Browns head coach said he was going to flip a coin to decide. At first it didn’t appear as though he was serious. Rather, it was simply his way of saying it didn’t matter if he showed up or not. But if Mangini isn’t serious, he certainly isn’t relenting. Before practice this morning, Mangini once again said he plans to flip a coin to decide if he will coach. “That’s probably the fairest way to do it. I’ll probably give both thumbs equal reps with the coin,” he said. “But if I do show up, I might not arrive by car. I might take a train, boat, or hang glider. I really can’t say more than that though. It’s an internal matter.” The man continues to be the Rubik’s Cube of NFL coaches.

Cleveland police arrested a man from Duluth, Minnesota who claimed to be a member of the “Minnesota Mafia,” for allegedly kidnapping a dog in Cleveland and forcing him to dress up like a Viking. When police arrested Aaron Bried on Saturday, they found the 10 pound pup hidden in a basket filled with clothing, according to a police report. The incident began about 5:30 p.m. when the victim’s owner told police her dog was taken from her front yard by what appeared to be a crazy Minnesota Vikings fan. Aaron Bried allegedly pointed a fake plastic sword at the dog and ordered him inside his car. Bried told the pup that if he tried to get away, he would be swatted with the plastic sword, the police report states. However, the getaway vehicle used for the kidnapping was a 1984 Toyota hatchback, which couldn’t go faster than about 10 miles an hour. That allowed police to catch up to Bried and arrest him about two miles away. The dog was unharmed and was later returned to his owner.

After years of denial and evasion, Brett Favre has admitted to brownieman.net that he is an old hillbilly. The Vikings QB, who recently came out of retirement for a record 32nd time, will appear on the cover of Redneck Times magazine, due to be published on Sunday. “Yes I am a hillbilly,” the cover of the magazine reads. “I cannot be a role model if I lie or hide this any longer.” This admission brings to an end years of speculation over the QB’s ancestry. “At one time, Favre was one of the bright lights of the NFL but he has since faded into obscurity. If it wasn’t for the speculation about his hillbilly-ness, I doubt anyone would care about him at all,” said Andrew Bassett, a life-long Vikings fan. While Favre is likely to insist that his admission has nothing to do with his career, there is little doubt that it will project him far from the hills of Mississippi and into the media spotlight once again. The Vikings open the regular season next week in Cleveland.