Former Vikings Punter Says He Was Cut Because He's Pro-Gay Marriage

To put it mildly, gay marriage has been a hot button issue in this country lately.

On one hand, several states have passed laws permitting gay marriage, and then there are certain celebrities, like Phil Robertson of A&E's Duck Dynasty, who have come out against it.

The political fallout has also fallen into the ranks of the NFL, where a number of players have voiced their opinion in favor of gay marriage. One of them is former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, who claims he was cut from the team because of his stance on this controversial issue.

Kluwe says that Mike Priefer, the Vikings’ special teams coach, was openly homophobic and hostile toward those who were for gay rights. The punter also said that Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman and former head coach Leslie Frazier ultimately decided to get rid of him because they didn’t like him expressing his views on this issue.

“I was fired by Mike Priefer, a bigot who didn’t agree with the cause I was working for, and two cowards, Leslie Frazier and Rick Spielman,” Kluwe wrote at Deadspin today.

“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,” Kluwe wrote.

Tell us how you really feel, Chris.

Part of his wish came true when Leslie Frazier and his staff were fired by the Vikings. 

Now, before you say he was just a lousy punter and that's why he was cut, Kluwe's career average is 44.0 yards per punt.  

But Kluwe probably isn't helping his stock by blasting his ex-coaches and reporting what's going on in the Vikings locker room.

After what happened with Kluwe, the Richie Incognito incident down in Miami, and Riley Cooper in Philly, it's quite apparent that the NFL needs to do more diversity training.

Tolerance and acceptence of others is a lesson apparently not being taught enough in the NFL.