Several weeks ago, former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe made some strong allegations against the organization. On Friday, he met with the lawyers hired to investigate the situation.
“I cooperated fully for the investigation,” Kluwe told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “The investigation is ongoing. I’m not going to comment on anything else. But I was asked questions, and I answered them. . . . I can say it was a productive meeting.”
Kluwe claims that special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer made homophobic comments in Kluwe’s presence, and chided Kluwe for his support of gay rights. Kluwe also contends he was cut due to the perceived distraction created by his efforts.
Citing an unnamed source close to the investigation, Tomasson reports that Kluwe, who initially was reluctant to disclose the identity of witnesses for fear of retaliation, shared with the investigators names of witnesses, who will now be contacted as part of the investigation.
“We interviewed him for approximately five hours,” attorney Chris Madel told Tomasson regarding the meeting. "[Kluwe] answered all of our questions. There were no agreements with respect to anonymity of any witnesses or any other facts.”
Tomasson also writes that the findings of the investigation will be disclosed in a public report. Priefer has to date been retained by new coach Mike Zimmer, and Kluwe has softened his initial stance that Priefer is unfit to continue coaching.