Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe wrote an inflammatory post for Deadspin.com headlined "I Was An NFL Player Until I Was Fired By Two Cowards And A Bigot." He claims he was released for his "gay rights activism," his wild rants and tweets against social conservatives. The “cowards” were Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier and GM Rick Spielman. The “bigot” was special-teams coach Mike Priefer, a man Kluwe wants banned from coaching for a "doctrine of intolerance."
Kluwe claimed Priefer once said "We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows.” USA Today’s Tom Pelissero reported that not only did Preiefer deny that, but Vikings kicker Blair Walsh also insisted the allegations were false.
"I have had countless conversations and interactions with coach Priefer, and I personally can attest to his integrity and character," Walsh wrote in a statement emailed to USA TODAY Sports.
"His professionalism in the workplace is exemplary, and I firmly believe that my teammates would whole-heartedly agree. The allegations made today are reprehensible and totally not compatible with what Mike Priefer stands for."
"I vehemently deny today's allegations made by Chris Kluwe," Priefer said in his own statement. "I want to be clear that I do not tolerate discrimination of any type and am respectful of all individuals. I personally have gay family members who I love and support just as I do any family member."
Priefer – “a 47-year-old former Navy helicopter pilot who has spent 20 years as a college and pro special teams coach” – was still employed by the Vikings as of Thursday afternoon, despite Coach Frazier's firing three days earlier.
The Vikings released Kluwe on May 6, about a week after drafting punter Jeff Locke in the fifth round. Kluwe signed a one-year deal with the Oakland Raiders 11 days later but lost out in training camp to another rookie punter, Marquette King.
Despite the obvious fact that no NFL team picked him up, Kluwe insisted he was “fired” for his outrageous activism, like the 2012 “lustful cockmonster” letter to a black Maryland lawmaker: "I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won't come into your house and steal your children. They won't magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster."
Locke, the current Vikings punter, also defended his coach against Kluwe:
"In my short time with the Vikings, Coach Priefer has treated me with respect and has helped me develop as a player and person," Locke posted to his verified Twitter account.
"I have never witnessed any actions or statements by Coach Priefer similar to those described in the recent Deadspin article."
Like many left-wingers pushing the gay agenda Kluwe insists the "bigotry" of Priefer should make him unemployable. He told USA Today he hoped his article prevents Priefer from coaching in the NFL, a point he reiterated in a phone interview.
“I kept my silence for the entire year,” he said. “I wasn’t going to bring that on the team during the year. Now that it’s pretty obvious that I’m not going to get another shot in the NFL, I feel like it’s a story that needs to be told.”
Fire all the Bible-thumpers! Here’s how Kluwe expressed it in his Deadspin piece:
If there's one thing I hope to achieve from sharing this story, it's to make sure that Mike Priefer never holds a coaching position again in the NFL, and ideally never coaches at any level. (According to the Pioneer Press, he is "the only in-house candidate with a chance" at the head-coaching job.) It's inexcusable that someone would use his status as a teacher and a role model to proselytize on behalf of his own doctrine of intolerance, and I hope he never gets another opportunity to pass his example along to anyone else. [Emphasis mine.]
