The lawyer for former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has identified witnesses to homophobic comments allegedly made by Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer.
Kluwe met with investigators on Friday. That meeting is reported to have lasted for around five hours.
The Pioneer Press reports Kluwe’s attorney Clayton Halunen identified Vikings kicker Blair Walsh and long snapper Cullen Loeffler as witnesses to those comments.
The newspaper reports Halunen also said Vikings officials knew about Kluwe’s complaints prior to his May of 2013 release.
Earlier this month, in an article that Kluwe wrote for Deadspin.com, Kluwe claimed that Priefer made homophobic comments during the 2012 season and that the Vikings released him due to his outspoken views on same-sex marriage.
At that time, the organization said it was just being made aware of Kluwe’s accusations for the first time. Halunen disputed those claims to the Pioneer Press, on Saturday. Halunen told the newspaper Kluwe met with Vikings director of player personnel Les Pico about the allegations, shortly before his release.
Priefer has denied Kluwe’s allegations and said Kluwe was released for football reasons.
The Vikings have launched an investigation into Kluwe’s accusations. The investigation is being headed by former Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Eric Magnuson and Chris Madel.
Walsh issued a statement through the Vikings in defense of Priefer. However, according to the Pioneer Press, Halunen claims that Kluwe has retained text messages from Walsh referencing the alleged comments from Priefer.
Kluwe was initially reluctant to disclose the identity of witnesses for fear of retaliation.
Kluwe’s wife was expected to take part in the meetings, because she was the only known witness to alleged conversations between her husband and Priefer.
The Pioneer Press reports that Pico and Priefer declined comment. The newspaper said that messages left for Walsh and Loeffler have not been returned.
