On Tuesday July 15, former Minnesota Vikings punter, Chris Kluwe, stated he intends to sue his former team, claiming religious discrimination, sexual-orientation discrimination, defamation, and tortious interference with contractual relations for his release from the team in 2013.
Kluwe spoke out this past January in a Deadspin.com article about his unexpected release. The article posits his support of same-sex marriage and other social issues as being central to his dismissal from the Vikings and claims that special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer (who has since admitted to making homophobic comments) is a bigot. In response, the Vikings have conducted an independent investigation of the matter.
Chris Kluwe intends to bring this cause of action against his former team, hoping to publicize the report from the Vikings’ investigation. Kluwe claims that in a meeting on Monday, the Vikings’ attorneys told him they would not be releasing the results. The attorneys have since denied that claim and said the Vikings will have further comment once the investigation is completed.
In the meantime, Kluwe’s attorney has been engaged in settlement talks with the Vikings that could result in the release of their independent investigation report and a $1 million donation to various charities supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. A meeting between the two parties is scheduled for Thursday.