Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has backed off his goal of stopping Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer from ever coaching football again.
Kluwe made the remark in his post at Deadspin.com, which went viral last week.
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.
He referred to Priefer as a “bigot” for alleged homophobic comments Priefer made during team meetings throughout the 2012 season. Kluwe believes his staunch support of same-sex marriage was part of the reason the Vikings released him following the 2013 NFL Draft.
On Tuesday, Kluwe changed his tune towards Priefer in an interview with “FOX Sports Live.”
“After thinking about it, after reflecting on it, I don’t think an appropriate punishment is if he never coaches again,” Kluwe said. “I think it would be better if he got therapy, if he got counseling, and then a year or two from now, come back into the league as a role model, help out with LGBT groups, and show people that this is an important issue.
“What he said is very hurtful, but people can change.”
Kluwe went to Twitter to address anyone who believes he’s backing off his original comments in the Deadspin article.
https://twitter.com/ChrisWarcraft/status/420797525692387328https://twitter.com/ChrisWarcraft/status/420797579798921217https://twitter.com/ChrisWarcraft/status/420797848448290816https://twitter.com/ChrisWarcraft/status/420798209242300416
The Vikings are in the process of conducting an independent review of Kluwe’s claims, which Priefer “vehemently” denies. Kluwe has also hired legal representation.
Kluwe also joined “FOX Sports Live” for a roundtable discussion on tolerance in sports with former Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb, Ravens fullback Brendan Ayanbedejo and former Texas Rangers outfielder Gabe Kapler.
