Quote of the Day

[T]he NFL doesn’t always respect reliable players who are role models off the field. Not when those players are smart and have opinions and dare to speak those opinions on places like the Internet. In the past year, [Minnesota Vikings punter Chris] Kluwe’s activism has gone from complaints about labor issues to the third rail to sports executives: gay rights. Suddenly the skilled punter who tees the ball perfectly for his field goal kickers is the great threat to the fabric of football.

Of course the Vikings, who drafted a punter in last month’s NFL draft, didn’t tell him this as they cut him Monday. Instead they gave the usual speech about wanting to go a different direction, thanking him for his service. Then he was dispatched from the Vikings’ facility without even a helmet clock to show for his eight years with the team.

Kluwe never asked if it was his activism that cost him his job. The Vikings never offered the thought even as the answer loomed obvious to everyone else. Two football players have spoken loud for gay rights issues in the last several months, specifically gay marriage: Kluwe and Brendon Ayanbadejo. Both have been cut.

– Les Carpenter

"Chris Kluwe’s Release by Vikings Sends Message
that Gay-Marriage Talk is Not Tolerable in NFL"
Yahoo! Sports
May 6, 2013

For more of Chris Kluwe at The Wild Reed see:
• Chris Kluwe on His Support for Marriage Equality: "It’s All About the Golden Rule"
• Quote of the Day – September 27, 2012
• What a Man! – Chris Kluwe
• What a Man! – Brendon Ayanbadejo







Related Off-site Links:
LGBT Ally, Marriage Equality Advocate Chris Kluwe Cut by Minnesota Vikings – LGBTQ Nation (May 6, 2013).
Chris Kluwe Announces That He Has Been Dropped by His Team the Minnesota Vikings – Joseph Patrick McCormick (Pink News, May 6, 2013).
Did LGBT Advocacy Cost NFL Player His Job? – Amanda Terkel (The Huffington Post, May 6, 2013).
If Kluwe is Cut, the Loss Will Be Ours – Chip Scoggins (Star Tribune, May 5, 2013).


Updates:
Chris Kluwe: "I Wouldn’t Have Changed Anything" – Andy Mannix (City Pages, May 7, 2013).
New Vikings Punter Jeff Locke Gave Chris Kluwe Props for Helping Defeat Marriage Amendment – Aaron Rupar (City Pages, May 7, 2013).
Had Chris Kluwe Worked at the University of St. Thomas . . . – Mark Osler (Star Tribune, May 8, 2013).
Gov. Mark Dayton Says Vikings 'Ought to Be Honest' About Cutting Chris Kluwe – Jase Peeples (The Advocate, May 10, 2013).
Chris Kluwe Vows to Keep Speaking Out on Gay Rights Despite Being Cut From Team – Michael Signorile (HuffPost Gay Voices, May 10, 2023).
Chris Kluwe, Punter and Outspoken Gay Rights Advocate, Says He Signed with Oakland Raiders – Amanda Terkel (HuffPost Gay Voices, May 16, 2013).


January 2014 Updates:
I Was an NFL Player Until I Was Fired by Two Cowards and a Bigot – Chris Kluwe (Deadspin, January 2, 2014).
Former Viking Chris Kluwe Blasts Coaches Over Release – KARE 11 News (January 2, 2014).
Former Viking Kluwe: "I Was Fired by Mike Priefer, a Bigot" – CBS Minnesota (January 2, 2014).
Former NFL Player Chris Kluwe Says Vikings Fired Him For Championing Gay Rights – Huffington Post (January 2, 2013).
Vikings Deny Chris Kluwe Was Cut For Same-Sex Marriage Advocacy, Will "Thoroughly Review" Allegations – Chris Greenberg (Huffington Post, January 2, 2013).
The Five Most Dispiriting Revelations in Chris Kluwe’s Nuclear Deadspin Piece – Kevin Hoffman (City Pages, January 2, 2013).
Brendon Ayanbadejo – Chris Kluwe is 100% Right ... He Was Cut for Being Pro-Gay – TMZ Sports (January 3, 2014).
Dorien Bryant On Chris Kluwe’s Letter: Homophobia Halted My NFL Dreams – Josh Middleton (PhillyMag.com, January 3, 2014).
Questions for Chris Kluwe, NFL Player and LGBT Advocate – Versha Sharma (Vocativ.com, January 3, 2014).
Chris Kluwe Q&A: Punter Explains Claims Against Vikings – Tom Pelissero (USA Today, January 3, 2014).

Image 1: USA Today Sports.
Image 2: Facebook.
Image 3: Steve Sack (Star Tribune, May 8, 2013).