Chris Kluwe - "I was fired by 2 cowards and a bigot"

[The Napkin]

This is going to get interesting...
 
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.

 

[moondog80]

Same sex marriage is a noble cause, but I get a bad vibe of self importance  from this guy.  I didn't read all of his 10,000 words, but the fact that the Raiders signed and released him during camp, and nobody else signed him, suggests that maybe, just maybe, there are football-related reasons for his unemployment.

 

[DJnVa]

Regardless of Kluwe's punting abilities (and by my uneducated eye, they seemed pretty good) that Vikes special teams coach Mike Priefer--I have to assume he lost his job with Leslie Frazier and he's going to have a tough time finding employment.
 

 I didn't read all of his 10,000 words
 

 
If you had read to the bottom you would have seen:
 

tl;dr—It's been a fun eight years; sometimes people do crappy things to each other.
 

 

[OCST]

Same sex marriage is a noble cause, but I get a bad vibe of self importance  from this guy.  I didn't read all of his 10,000 words, but the fact that the Raiders signed and released him during camp, and nobody else signed him, suggests that maybe, just maybe, there are football-related reasons for his unemployment.

 
 
I think both things could be true, or are true - that he's a better-than-average NFL punter who would still have a job if he hadn't said anything, and that he's self-important.

 

[Stitch01]

Priefer seems like a real dick if the account is accurate.  Hard to say from the outside why Kluwe got cut.
 
Not surprising that a fairly fungible punter with a rep as a potential distraction isnt getting a ton of phone calls.  Probably not fair, but not a shock. 

 

[moondog80]

 
 
I think both things could be true, or are true - that he's a better-than-average NFL punter who would still have a job if he hadn't said anything, and that he's self-important.

 
Maybe, but seems to me that if the Raiders had reservations about him, they wouldn't have brought him into camp in the first place.

 

[singaporesoxfan]

If this story is true, I think the most damning part from the perspective of how the Vikings are run is not whether Kluwe kept his job - as Stitch01 said, he could be fairly fungible - but that the football decision-makers were so intent on replacing him that they used a 5th-round pick on a punter.

 

[Hextall]

Same sex marriage is a noble cause, but I get a bad vibe of self importance  from this guy.  I didn't read all of his 10,000 words, but the fact that the Raiders signed and released him during camp, and nobody else signed him, suggests that maybe, just maybe, there are football-related reasons for his unemployment.

 
This assumes the raiders have the ability to suss out these alleged football related reasons.

 

[shlincoln]

Regardless of Kluwe's punting abilities (and by my uneducated eye, they seemed pretty good) that Vikes special teams coach Mike Priefer--I have to assume he lost his job with Leslie Frazier and he's going to have a tough time finding employment.

Per the article, he's considered the only in-house replacement to Frazier. Which isn't to say he's the Vikings top choice, just that his career perspectives look brighter than Kluwe's.

 

[Blacken]

I get a bad vibe of self importance  from this guy.

It's undeserved. Kluwe's one of the more affable people I've ever run into personally (and his regular appearances around the internet will back this up, he's a pretty decent nerdy type), but he has a public track record of not taking shit from shitty people. Nor should he.

It's not like he expects to get another gig, anyway.

 

[Leather]

It sounds to me like Priefer (and by extension Spielman, who sucks) jumped the gun in deciding to get rid of Kluwe for PR reasons, but didn't actually consider that they aren't responsible for PR.  If they had, they should have realized this would have happened. 
 
Obviously, it's their right to cut the guy for whatever reason that they want.  That being said, they were so concerned with the optics of Kluwe's activism (and, I suspect, how it reflected upon them in a very homophobic industry) that they didn't stop to consider the optics of firing the guy without having an unassailable reason to. 
 
From a Minnesota resident perspective, this is really embarrassing.  In the span of one year, we (that is, the people of MInnesota) voted down a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, and then the legislature voted to allow gay marriage.  The people here (particularly in the metro area, where the vast majority of season ticket holders hail from) clearly support what Kluwe was saying, even if they thought he was kind of a flake.  The team is clearly out of touch if they think that Kluwe was turning people off of the team. 
 
Spielman sucks, people here are already wondering how he survived while Frasier didn't. 

 

[moondog80]

It's undeserved. Kluwe's one of the more affable people I've ever run into personally (and his regular appearances around the internet will back this up, he's a pretty decent nerdy type), but he has a public track record of not taking shit from shitty people. Nor should he.

I could be wrong about him.   But I also thought that while Priefer deserves to be called a bigot, labeliing Frazier and Spielman as cowards was throwing them under the bus for the sake of grabbing headlines.  I can see where he's coming from, but wanting no waves is pretty understandble given their jobs, I think Kluwe could understand their position a little more.

 

[Blacken]

Understandable and cowardly are not disjoint sets. And I wouldn't really give a shit about "understanding" tacit acceptance of that behavior either. Kluwe has fuck-you money and has tons of other non-football interests; he doesn't need to play nice.

 

[Leather]

What "waves" though?  A few questions at press conferences?  Who gives a shit?
 
Sounds to me like Priefer was blowing everything out of proportion because to do so served his narrow worldview.  

 

[ethangl]

Obviously, it's their right to cut the guy for whatever reason that they want. 

 
And getting virtually identical production for (I'm guessing) 20% of the cost seems like a pretty good reason.

 

[moondog80]

What "waves" though?  A few questions at press conferences?  Who gives a shit?
 
Sounds to me like Priefer was blowing everything out of proportion because to do so served his narrow worldview.  

 I agree, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but these guys want to focus on the game and nothing else.  It's the BB blueprint.

 

[Reverend]

I could be wrong about him.   But I also thought that while Priefer deserves to be called a bigot, labeliing Frazier and Spielman as cowards was throwing them under the bus for the sake of grabbing headlines.  I can see where he's coming from, but wanting no waves is pretty understandble given their jobs, I think Kluwe could understand their position a little more.

 
So, how do we think that not making waves strategy is working out for them?
 
I'm always fascinated when people fuck up and and make a story out of their worries that there will be a story. As DrLeather pointed out Kluwe's stance isn't that problematic for a team in Minnesota and, for that matter, the NFL is practically bullet proof as a product right now--do you know anyone who would boycott watching their favorite team over a punter? 

 

[Rustjive]

 
And getting virtually identical production for (I'm guessing) 20% of the cost seems like a pretty good reason.

Well, there is the cost of the draft pick, and the assertion that he wasn't approached about reworking his contract in any way.

 

[Reverend]

 
And getting virtually identical production for (I'm guessing) 20% of the cost seems like a pretty good reason.

 
Only if you don't factor in the cost of using the 5th round pick.

 

[braudimusprime]

Based on what I was able to find online about their respective contracts, the Vikings' cap hit for the punter position went from $1.45M to $450K when they cut Kluwe and signed the new guy.
 
I'm sure Chris is a good guy and the special teams coach sounds like an asshole, but for any other player this would be business as usual in the NFL. Also, it's a little weird that his time with the Raiders goes totally unacknowledged. I understand that the bulk of the piece was written in the spring of '13, but the fact is he did get another job, and got cut in training camp.

 

[OCST]

 I agree, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but these guys want to focus on the game and nothing else.  It's the BB blueprint.

 
the "BB blueprint" didn't stop the Patriots from bringing in Tim Tebow, who creates the same sort of distraction issue, except twenty times as magnified.
 
From a strictly competitive standpoint, I understand not wanting to devote organizational resources to anything other than winning football games.  A player attracting media attention and generating questions to coaches and the organization about political stuff is a pain in the ass.  Even though I agree with Kluwe's political stance, I totally get that.  I would feel the same way if it were Luke Scott.
 
However, that cuts both ways.  The coaching staff can't be heard to say to players in a meeting: ""We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows," and then complain that political issues are diverting the team's attention. 

 

[CoffeeNerdness]

Sounds to me like Priefer was blowing everything out of proportion because to do so served his narrow worldview.  

 
That and he doesn't like the way he feels when he's surrounded by half-naked, muscular men in the locker room.  He's not supposed to have those feelings and they make him angry.

 

[moondog80]

 
So, how do we think that not making waves strategy is working out for them?
 
I'm always fascinated when people fuck up and and make a story out of their worries that there will be a story. As DrLeather pointed out Kluwe's stance isn't that problematic for a team in Minnesota and, for that matter, the NFL is practically bullet proof as a product right now--do you know anyone who would boycott watching their favorite team over a punter? 

 
That the Vikings suck is totally irrellevant.  The Pats are awesome, do we think they would not ask someone to stop tweeting criticisms of the Pope?  I understand that Kluwe was doing this as an individual and not a repesentative of the Vikings, but 99.999% of the platofrm Kluwe had obtained was due to his status as a Viking. 

 

[budcrew08]

Priefer seems like a real dick if the account is accurate. Hard to say from the outside why Kluwe got cut.

Not surprising that a fairly fungible punter with a rep as a potential distraction isnt getting a ton of phone calls. Probably not fair, but not a shock.


I would guess it's pretty accurate. No reason for Kluwe to tell this story without there being a big chunk of truth out there.

 

[budcrew08]

And getting virtually identical production for (I'm guessing) 20% of the cost seems like a pretty good reason.


He's a punter. Could Kluwe have been making that much money? Didn't he say something about minimum salary in his account?

 

[Stitch01]

I would guess that the parts about the homophobic comments are true (more skeptical about the performance evaluation).  Just caveated since since its still a he said/she said story told from the perspective of someone with a clear axe to grind.

 

[AbbyNoho]

 
The coaching staff can't be heard to say to players in a meeting: ""We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows," and then complain that political issues are diverting the team's attention. 

 
 
That's like something a comic book version of Hitler would come up with. So bizarre. 

 

[Reverend]

 
That the Vikings suck is totally irrellevant.

 
I don't have a clue what you're talking about. Not a fucking Kluw.
 

 

[JerBear]

He's a punter. Could Kluwe have been making that much money? Didn't he say something about minimum salary in his account?

Being in the league for 8 years means his vet-minimum contract is way higher than a random free agent or drafted punter.  That's why they saved the money.

 

[braudimusprime]

Vet minimum for him in 2013 would have been $840K, so even if he had renegotiated they still saved $390K going with the new guy.

 

[ethangl]

 
Only if you don't factor in the cost of using the 5th round pick.

 
I don't think the cost of the pick was a factor in their decision -- I think they made the decision in February after the "please stop insulting the pope" conversation -- and at that point it is a Kluwe vs minimum salary discussion.
 
 

He's a punter. Could Kluwe have been making that much money? Didn't he say something about minimum salary in his account?

 
Looks like he was due $1.45M. Locke made $405k this year, and will make a little over $2M over the course of 4 years. 

 

[moondog80]

 
I don't have a clue what you're talking about. Not a fucking Kluw.
 

 
Maybe I'm wrong, but you seemed to imply that the Vikings PR strategy was flawed because they won 5 games this year?

 

[Stitch01]

I think he's implying that the PR effect of Kluwe's activism<<<<<the PR hit from Kluwe's latest article.  Particularly for the special teams coach.

 

[Reverend]

 
Maybe I'm wrong, but you seemed to imply that the Vikings PR strategy was flawed because they won 5 games this year?

 
I'm not sure where you got that from. What I meant to imply is that mishandling a player with an enormous internet platform is a flawed PR strategy.

 

[Reverend]

I think he's implying that the PR effect of Kluwe's activism<<<<<the PR hit from Kluwe's latest article.  Particularly for the special teams coach.

 
Yes, that.

 

[Ralphwiggum]

 I agree, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but these guys want to focus on the game and nothing else.  It's the BB blueprint.

 
I don't think the BB blueprint involves muzzling guys who have a desire to support causes like same sex marriage or whatever. 

 

[moondog80]

I think he's implying that the PR effect of Kluwe's activism<<<<<the PR hit from Kluwe's latest article.  Particularly for the special teams coach.

 
 
I think the PR hit from article comes from the special teams coach, who presumably was not acting with the blessing from the PR department.  Other than that, all I see is Kluwe being asked/advised to try and not make any headlines, and not in a particularly heavy-handed way.

 

[moondog80]

 
I don't think the BB blueprint involves muzzling guys who have a desire to support causes like same sex marriage or whatever. 

 
Maybe I'm wrong, but when was the last time a Pats player actively campaigned (as opposed to an off-the-cuff comment) on either side of hot-button issue?  It's a fine line perhaps, but I don't think these guys are censored as much as asked to keep a low profile.

 

[Leather]

 
 
I think the PR hit from article comes from the special teams coach, who presumably was not acting with the blessing from the PR department.  Other than that, all I see is Kluwe being asked/advised to try and not make any headlines, and not in a particularly heavy-handed way.

 
Anything he said was making headlines.  They were telling him to stop talking about gay marriage.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Stephen Drew

 

[Reverend]

 
Maybe I'm wrong, but when was the last time a Pats player actively campaigned (as opposed to an off-the-cuff comment) on either side of hot-button issue?  It's a fine line perhaps, but I don't think these guys are censored as much as asked to keep a low profile.

 

Stephen Drew

 
I'd scream if I found him in my bathtub.

 

[veritas]

Brendon Ayanbadejo has similarly supported LGBT rights and was completely supported in doing so by the Baltimore Ravens, despite being a 36 year old fungible special teams player.
 
Glad all of his distractions didn't prevent them from winning the Super Bowl.

 

[moondog80]

 
 
I'd scream if I found him in my bathtub.

 
Do you think the Patriots were happy about this?

 

[OCST]

Also, I find it hard to believe that a "special-teams coordinator" could be a frontrunner for a head coaching job.  I could be wrong, but I can't think of a single instance where a head coach came from a special teams background, as opposed to having been a position coach and then an offensive or defensive coordinator.  Anyone know of one offhand?

 

[moondog80]

Brendon Ayanbadejo has similarly supported LGBT rights and was completely supported in doing so by the Baltimore Ravens, despite being a 36 year old fungible special teams player.
 
Glad all of his distractions didn't prevent them from winning the Super Bowl.

 
Good for the Ravens.  Really, I think that's cool.  But doesn't this establish that there isn't an NFL-wide boycott of players supporting LGBT causes?  So maybe Kluwe being so outspoken isn't the primary cause of his being out of work?

 

[Mystic Merlin]

Also, I find it hard to believe that a "special-teams coordinator" could be a frontrunner for a head coaching job.  I could be wrong, but I can't think of a single instance where a head coach came from a special teams background, as opposed to having been a position coach and then an offensive or defensive coordinator.  Anyone know of one offhand?

John Harbaugh.

I don't think it's a long list, however. I can't think of another guy who made a direct move from ST to HC. Mike Tomlin was a DB coach, but he served one year as DC for MIN before PIT hired him.

 

[mascho]

Also, I find it hard to believe that a "special-teams coordinator" could be a frontrunner for a head coaching job.  I could be wrong, but I can't think of a single instance where a head coach came from a special teams background, as opposed to having been a position coach and then an offensive or defensive coordinator.  Anyone know of one offhand?

 
John Harbaugh was the Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Backs coach in Philly prior to becoming the Head Coach in Baltimore.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harbaugh

 

[Reverend]

 
Do you think the Patriots were happy about this?

 
Nope. But if you read the article you'll see they responded by just ignoring it. Now that is the Belichick WayTM.
 
It's kind of incredible how rarely people consider the option of just not giving a shit.

 

[mascho]

Both Ditka and Cowher were Special Teams Coaches as well.

 

[moondog80]

 
Nope. But if you read the article you'll see they responded by just ignoring it. Now that is the Belichick WayTM.
 
It's kind of incredible how rarely people consider the option of just not giving a shit.

 
They ignored it publicly.  We have no idea what was said behing closed doors, but I'd be shocked if it was nothing.