Zimmer Has Lost 16 Pounds Due To Stress, Daughter Says In Instagram Post Lambasting 'So-Called' Fans

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The daughter of Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer issued an impassioned defense of her father on social media this week in response to online criticism over the Vikings' disappointing performance this season.

"My dad has lost 16 pounds this season because of stress," Corri Zimmer White wrote on Instagram Tuesday. "[H]e gets to work every day at 4 a.m. and works until 9-10 at night."

She lambasted "so-called fans" who made fun of her father's appearance, and judged his every coaching decision.

"If you can't appreciate and can't recognize everything he's done for this team, then you are no fan," Zimmer White wrote. "These people get behind their keyboards and write heartless comments and I know for a fact that they have never worked as hard as he has ONE day in their life."

Her post came in the wake of the Vikings' 7-21 loss in Seattle on Monday night.

While insisting that her father never blames anyone but himself for a loss, he did fire the team's offensive coordinator, John DeFilippo, on Tuesday.

The coach said the firing decision was difficult but necessary in order to salvage the rest of the season, especially as the team slouches toward the playoffs.

There's only three games left in the regular season, and the Vikings' current record is 6-6-1. Much more was expected of the team, which made it to the NFC Championship game last year and then signed quarterback Kirk Cousins in the hopes of upgrading the squad to a Super Bowl caliber team.

Still, Zimmer White has confidence her in dad in the weeks ahead.

"This man is one of the greatest COACHES, FATHER, HUSBAND, FRIEND, and PERSON in the world," she wrote. "He is the right leader for this team and he will get it turned around."

The Vikings play the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. In the following weeks they'll play the Lions and the Bears.