Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe made shocking accusations in an editorial letter for Deadspin. Kluwe, who was released from the team in May, said he is "pretty confident" that he was fired for supporting gay marriage.
In the piece, titled "I Was An NFL Player Until I Was Fired by Two Cowards and Bigot," he claims he was let go because he started to become a headache for the Vikings' Head Coach Leslie Frazier ("Coward"), the General Manager Rick Spielman ("Coward") and Special Teams Coordinator Mike Priefer ("Bigot").
"I honestly don't know if my activism was the reason I got fired," he said. "However, I'm pretty confident it was."
According to The Wrap, Kluwe "became somewhat of a spokesperson" for the Minnesotans for Marriage Equality, a group that supported same-sex marriage and helped voters overthrow the Minnesota Gay Marriage Amendment. Same-sex marriage is now legal in the state Minnesota.
In the letter, Kluwe said before he started speaking on behalf of gay marriage he got the ok from the Vikings' legal department who told him that "as long as I made it clear I was acting as a private citizen, not as a spokesman for Vikings" it wouldn't be a problem.
However, after several radio advertisements and a dinner appearance for the group and his continued support for gay marriage, things started going downhill between Kluwe and certain staff members of the Vikings.
"Coach Frazier immediately told me that I 'needed to be quiet, and stop speaking out on this stuff' [referring to Kluwe's stance on gay-marriage rights]," he wrote. "I told Coach Frazier that I felt it was the right thing to do. He reiterated his fervent desire for me to cease speaking on the subject, stating that 'a wise coach once told me there are two things you don't talk about in the NFL, politics and religion.'"
The athlete continued speaking on the matter and even said he had gained the support of team owner Zygi Wilf. Still he noticed his stance was causing problems within the team and he began to distance himself from the people mentioned in the letter.
Kluwe claims that despite a successful recovery from knee surgery and a good season he was replaced in May.
"I had a meeting with Rick Spielman. He told me that team was releasing me, and he thanked me for the great work I had done for the Vikings, and also said he would tell other teams how professionally and competently I had executed my duties over the years... Then I was escorted from the premises and was no longer a Viking."
"At the tryouts I've had this year I've gotten praise from the scouts and personnel people on hand, but for whatever reason I cannot find a job," Kluwe continued.
