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On Thursday, Deadspin published an essay by the former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, in which he writes that he is “pretty confident” that he was released by the team before this season because of his outspoken support for same-sex marriage and gay rights.
Kluwe accuses Vikings special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer—who was, essentially, his immediate boss in Minnesota—of directing “homophobic language” toward him after he became a high-profile public advocate for marriage equality. And he alleges that former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier (who was fired this week following a losing season) and current general manager Rick Spielman both attempted to curtail his statements on various political issues, ranging from gay rights to opinions about the Catholic Church. He calls Priefer a “bigot,” and Frazier and Spielman “cowards.” (In a statement, Priefer denied Kluwe’s allegations, writing, “I want to be clear that I do not tolerate discrimination of any type and am respectful of all individuals. I personally have gay family members who I love and support just as I do any family member.” Neither Frazier nor Spielman has responded. In a separate statement, the Vikings promised to “thoroughly review the matter,” but said that Kluwe was “released strictly based on his football performance.”)
Kluwe accuses Vikings special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer—who was, essentially, his immediate boss in Minnesota—of directing “homophobic language” toward him after he became a high-profile public advocate for marriage equality. And he alleges that former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier (who was fired this week following a losing season) and current general manager Rick Spielman both attempted to curtail his statements on various political issues, ranging from gay rights to opinions about the Catholic Church. He calls Priefer a “bigot,” and Frazier and Spielman “cowards.” (In a statement, Priefer denied Kluwe’s allegations, writing, “I want to be clear that I do not tolerate discrimination of any type and am respectful of all individuals. I personally have gay family members who I love and support just as I do any family member.” Neither Frazier nor Spielman has responded. In a separate statement, the Vikings promised to “thoroughly review the matter,” but said that Kluwe was “released strictly based on his football performance.”)
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