Two days before the Minnesota Vikings lost 24-13 to the Seattle Seahawks in their first NFL preseason game, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins — who, like virtually every other Vikings projected starter, didn’t play in the game — sat down with local TV news station KARE-TV (Channel 11) for a one-on-one interview.
As seen in the very beginning of the interview (below), Cousins proclaims that he “loves local news.” When the interviewer Jana Shortal asks why, Cousins says: “It’s just obviously most news is kind of gone like this (he moves his hand in a dramatic downward motion) — it’s just toxic.”
The veteran QB adds, “And I feel like local news is still somewhat pure…I feel like at least I’m getting some good quality news instead of just trying to incite people.”
Shortal then — perhaps showing national news ambitions — proceeds to incite Cousins, who largely doesn’t take the bait. The reporter reminds Cousins — who came to Minnesota from the Washington Redskins in 2018 — that “local news has not been nice to you for five years.”
Shortal asks Cousins what he thinks about people saying things about him like: “you paid him too much and he’s not worth it, he’s not a top-tier quarterback, he’s middle of the road”?
Cousins responds with a smile and a laugh and says, “They don’t say it to my face!”
In the YouTube comments, fans rushed to Cousins’ defense, with many voicing strong disapproval of Shortal’s approach to the Vikings quarterback, who will turn 35 next week.
One fan replied: “He’s nicer to her than she deserves. She’s a bit rude and a poor interviewer.”
Another fan saw disrespect in the exchange: “He goes on and directly gives respect to local news to start the interview, and then local news just purposefully makes him uncomfortable. What an insufferable interviewer. I would have got up and walked away 5 minutes in.”
But Cousins didn’t walk away. In fact, Cousins left Shortal wanting more. At the very end, Cousins drops the term “nerd swag,” to which Shortal impatiently asks, “What the f is nerd swag?” With a chuckle, Cousins replies, “I’ll let you decide.”
Cousins also made sure to sneak a plug for his Netflix documentary, Quarterback, with Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) and Marcus Mariota (Atlanta Falcons). Watch trailer below.
