Former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe is likely never going to play in the NFL again. But it's not because he can't punt anymore. He can. It's also not because he can't hold extra points anymore. He can. And it's not because he doesn't want to play in the NFL anymore. He does.
But earlier today, Kluwe agreed to publish a story that he wrote on Deadspin—and it's going to make NFL teams very, very wary about signing him. That's because, in the piece, Kluwe reveals that he thinks he was cut by the Vikings prior to the 2013-14 NFL season because he has been so outspoken about issues like gay rights and gay marriage in recent years. Kluwe—who was easily one of the most interesting players in the NFL during his playing days—accuses his former head coach Leslie Frazier of trying to convince him to keep quiet on important social issues. He accuses his former general manager Rick Spielman of texting him and telling him to "please fly under the radar" when he attempted to start a discussion about corruption within the Catholic Church on Twitter. And he accuses his former special teams coach Mike Priefer of being a bigot and cities specific examples of him using homophobic language in Kluwe's presence.
Kluwe's story is extremely honest, extremely personal, and, in a lot of ways, extremely brave. Because in the story, he acknowledges the fact that, by publishing the piece on Deadspin, he's essentially giving the entire NFL a reason not to allow him to continue to play football. So if you have some free time, go check it out over here. Kluwe's NFL career may be over. But it's clear that he's got a way with words that he can put to good use if the NFL thing doesn't pan out for him again.
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[via Deadspin]
