Former Vikings WR Troy Williamson Is Still Mad at Brad Childress, Wants to 'Duke It Out'

The Vikings drafted Troy Williamson with the seventh-overall selection of the 2005 draft to replace Randy Moss, who had been traded to the Raiders. Things didn't quite work out; in three seasons, Williamson never caught more than 37 passes, he hauled in a grand total of three touchdowns in 39 games, and last February, Minnesota ended up shipping him to Jacksonville for a second-day draft pick.

Player and Coach Feuds

Ex-Vikings wide receiver blasts his former coach Brad Childress on a conference call, telling reporters he would like to "duke it out" at the 50-yard line with his former coach. Click through for other player-coach feuds.

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The Royals' Jose Guillen, left, had a heated exchange with Kansas City pitching coach Bob McClure before a game in July game.

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Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez apologized after a confrontation with traveling team secretary Jack McCormick, in which the slugger reportedly shoved him to the ground on June 28.

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Outspoken wide receiver Chad Johnson has repeatedly feuded with Cincinnati Bengals management. Johnson blasted the team last year for implying he was "selfish and a cancer" and asked for a trade, prompting head coach Marvin Lewis to reply "he is a Cincinnati Bengal for quite a while."

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Manager John Gibbons, who was recently fired by the Blue Jays, routinely feuded with players during his time in Toronto. Gibbons reportedly challenged Shea Hillenbrand to a fight in July 2006 and had a shoving match with Ted Lilly after the pitcher refused to surrender the ball when he was removed from a game later that year.

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Chicago Bulls rookie Joakim Noah, left, was benched for a game last season for a confrontation at practice with assistant coach Ron Adams before a game at Philadelphia. But his teammates voted to keep him benched for an additional game.

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The scuffle wasn't the Bulls' first. In 2006, Ben Wallace, left, challenged ex-head coach Scott Skiles on a Bulls team rule forbidding headbands. Wallace was pulled from a game by the coach for defiantly wearing it during play.

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Falcons star D'Angelo Hall, left, was one of the many Atlanta players who had issues with former coach Bobby Petrino last year. After Petrino bolted for a college gig with Arkansas at the end of last season, Hall said "I don't have any respect for him. He turned his back on the organization."

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It's been more of the same with the Jags; Williamson's battled injuries, played in just five games, and has four catches for 27 yards (but 25 percent of his receptions resulted in touchdowns!)

With the Jags hosting the Vikes this weekend, the story line, naturally, is Williamson facing his former team. In addition to the on-field banalities such stories evoke, there's also this: Williamson's then-coach Brad Childress fined the wideout for missing a game to be with his family after his grandmother's death. Seriously.

After some players protested, Childress reconsidered, but it helps explain why Williamson still has bitter feelings about his time in Minnesota. And why, during a Wednesday conference call, he said he'd like to "duke it out" with his former coach this Sunday. Wait, what?

"We can meet on the 50-yard line and we can go at it," Williamson said. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound receiver said he liked his chances against Childress, too, especially with a few inches and at least 10 pounds on the coach. Williamson even said he would fight with both hands tied behind his back.

When reporters got Childress on the horn for his response to the challenge, he offered this:

Childress initially said he wasn't "biting" on Williamson's comments, but when pressed about his height and weight on a conference call, he responded: "Do you need my reach? I'm not like a woman; I'll give you my weight. It's 190 pounds of twisted steel and rompin', stompin' dynamite. Is that enough humor for you?"

Huh. I guess the boys back at the robot factory have a sense of humor; somebody made Childress less dull during his latest software upgrade. Oh, and it probably bears mentioning: via the AP, Williamson didn't specify whether he wanted a boxing match, good ol' wrasslin', or some MMA action. My money's on: it doesn't matter.

The Vikings head coach has at least one supporter, though: defensive end Jared Allen, who calls the team's bald leader "a tough-minded guy" with "a bad ... mustache." Shocking.

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