Kluwe rips ex-Vikings Coach Frazier as Coward, ST coach

[dbackjon]

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.

Allow myself to tell you a story about ... myself. The following is a record of what happened to me during my 2012 season with the Minnesota Vikings, written down immediately after the 2013 draft in April, when I realized what was happening, and revised recently only for clarity. I tried to keep things as objective as possible, and anything you see in quotes are words that I directly recall being said to me.
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Much more: http://deadspin.com/i-was-an-nfl-player ... 1493208214" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[dbackjon]

Glad the asshole Frazier was fired.

[Gil Dobie]

Confirms why he was let go.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=35429&hilit=kluwe

[SDHornet]

Great read. Shitty situation.

However, it's clear to me that no matter how much I want to prove I can play, I will no longer punt in the NFL, especially now that I've written this account. Whether it's my age, my minimum veteran salary, my habit of speaking my mind, or (most likely) a combination of all three, my time as a football player is done. Punters are always replaceable, at least in the minds of those in charge, and I realize that in advocating noisily for social change I only made it easier for them to justify not having me around. So it goes.

Regardless I think the economics play the most into him no longer being on a team. Not sure where the numbers exactly work out but if a team can sign a rookie and get similar numbers at 20% (or whatever the numbers work out to) of the cost they will go that route every time.

[GannonFan]

Eh, can't get worked up about this. The economics is a big deal in this (didn't the Vikes cut their place kicker the year before for a younger kid, and I don't recall that place kicker being an outspoken proponent for anything). This guy wasn't an elite punter or anything so replacing him with a kid was an even swap, and they saved a lot of money. And frankly, is there even such a thing as an elite punter anyway (outside of Lechler)? Punters really are a dime a dozen. If this guy was anything special, he'd still be kicking in the NFL today - he did get cut by the Raiders before the season started after not winning the job and hasn't worked since.

And while the marriage equality stuff surely ruffled some of those conservative feathers up in Minnesota, this guy was a PR nightmare even before that. Wasn't he the one who called Peyton Manning and Tom Brady "douchebags" in a tweet? It's one thing to be a rabid tweeter when you're irreplaceable or a superstar, it's another thing to be one when you're a replaceable, and costly, bit player.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

LOL

Kluwe was cut because he was a poor punter.

[clenz]

So....Jon is hoping Fraizer never gets another job - yet his views on gay marriage were never actually stated.

Holy shit Jon - you really are a true one trick poney.

He got cut because he was making 825K as a punter who averaged just 44.4 yards per punt and 37.3 net on his career.

Meanwhile the Vikings paid Jeff Lock rookie minimum this season to average 44.2 yards per punt and 39.2 net.

So, the same average gross and a 2 yard better net for a hell of a lot less money.

Not just that Kluewe had 14 touchbacks and just 17 downed inside the 20 last season

This season...a rookie had

3 touchbacks and 23 downed inside the 20.


Holy shit...seems to me that the Vikings made the RIGHT fucking move.