Former NFL Star And LGBT Supporter Chris Kluwe Says ‘Cowards’ And A ‘Bigot’ Fired Him

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For the past two years, NFL star punter Chris Kluwe was one of America’s greatest LGBT allies. His name came to fame outside the sports field when he ran to the defense of fellow NFL player Brendon Ayanbadejo, via the world’s funniest take-down of a politician ever.

LOOK: Pro-Gay NFL Player Says ‘Cockmonster’ In Best Letter Ever Written To An Anti-Gay Lawmaker

This afternoon, Deadspin published a lengthy op-ed by Kluwe — always an amusing writer — that begins:

Hello. My name is Chris Kluwe, and for eight years I was the punter for the Minnesota Vikings. In May 2013, the Vikings released me from the team. At the time, quite a few people asked me if I thought it was because of my recent activism for same-sex marriage rights, and I was very careful in how I answered the question. My answer, verbatim, was always, “I honestly don’t know, because I’m not in those meetings with the coaches and administrative people.”

This is a true answer. I honestly don’t know if my activism was the reason I got fired.

However, I’m pretty confident it was.

Kluwe then details a timeline of his conversations with Vikings management, from April 2012 through May of last year, when he writes, “I was escorted from the premises and was no longer a Viking.”

He concludes:

It’s my belief, based on everything that happened over the course of 2012, that I was fired by Mike Priefer, a bigot who didn’t agree with the cause I was working for, and two cowards, Leslie Frazier and Rick Spielman, both of whom knew I was a good punter and would remain a good punter for the foreseeable future, as my numbers over my eight-year career had shown, but who lacked the fortitude to disagree with Mike Priefer on a touchy subject matter. (Frazier was fired on Monday, at the conclusion of a 5-10-1 season.) One of the main coaching points I’ve heard throughout my entire life is, “How you respond to difficult situations defines your character,” and I think it’s a good saying. I also think it applies to more than just the players.

The Vikings are not taking Kluwe’s accusations lightly and are wholly denying them.
“The Minnesota Vikings were made aware of Chris Kluwe’s allegations for the first time today,” the Vikings said in a statement just released, Outsports reports. “We take them very seriously and will thoroughly review this matter.”

As an organization, the Vikings consistently strive to create a supportive, respectful and accepting environment for all of our players, coaches and front office personnel. We do not tolerate discrimination at any level. The team has long respected our players’ and associates’ individual rights, and, as Chris specifically stated, Vikings ownership supports and promotes tolerance, including on the subject of marriage equality. Because he was identified with the Vikings, Chris was asked to be respectful while expressing his opinions. Team ownership and management also repeatedly emphasized to Chris that the Vikings would not impinge on his right to express his views.

Any notion that Chris was released from our football team due to his stance on marriage equality is entirely inaccurate and inconsistent with team policy. Chris was released strictly based on his football performance.

We will have further comment at the appropriate time.

Dave Zirin, writing at The Nation, offers this insight:

Kluwe’s article constitutes a brave, even whistleblowing act that could keep him permanently out of the league. He also dropped his story, coincidentally, the same week that Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers took to the airwaves to dispel gay rumors most of us didn’t know existed. He said with gusto that he “really, really likes women,” as if they were his favorite cut of beef at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. He did not even throw down with a token “not that there is anything wrong with that.” (Straight men: the only three acceptable answers to “Are you gay?” are, “That’s my business,” “Not at the moment”, or “I fear I don’t have that privilege.”)

So, was Kluwe fired for his performance on the field or off?

What do you think?

Image of Kluwe’s uniform by Kluwe via Twitter