On Monday, the Vikings parted ways with punter Chris Kluwe. On Tuesday, Kluwe joined PFT Live to talk about the move, and his football (and non-football) future.
And while Kluwe previously lamented to PFT that “speaking out on human rights has a chance of getting you cut,” he said Tuesday that he doesn’t know whether it actually was a factor in the Vikings’ decision to go with fifth-round rookie Jeff Locke.
Common sense tells us that, at some level, someone in the decision-making hierarchy in Minnesota was influenced, consciously or not, by Kluwe’s penchant for non-football interests -- especially since special-teams coach Mike Priefer voiced those concerns last year, after Kluwe wore a homemade patch during a game to support Ray Guy’s candidacy for the Hall of Fame.
If those kinds of things could affect Kluwe’s future job prospects in the NFL, Kluwe doesn’t care. He said Tuesday that he’s not changing, and that’s a good thing.
Another good thing is Kluwe’s first book, Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies: On Myths, Morons, Free Speech, Football, and Assorted Absurdities. You can pre-order it right here.