Oh boy, sports and the NFL combine. My opinion? You're foolishly just assuming Kluwe's side of the story is absolutely true.
It's unquestionable that Phil Robertson was suspended due to his statements in the interview. A&E pretty much admitted that it was due to that backlash, and there was little other reason to believe it to be the case.
The same cannot be said for old Chris Warcraft. There is nothing but speculation on his part to suggest that it was his statements and actions OFF the field that got him released. Quite to the contrary, there’s compelling evidence to suggest that there were legitimate and obvious FOOTBALL reasons to cut him.
Kluwe had an inconsistent 2012, having one two game stretch where 8 of his 13 punts were under 40 yards including one 20 yarder
(Source). Kluwe was 24th in Punting Average, 18th in Net Average, and 31st in the league for punts inside the 20 yard line (
(Source). Those aren’t good numbers for a punter.
Then you add his contract situation on top of his inconsistent and middling play. 2013 would’ve been the final year of a 6 year contract and would’ve cost them $1.45 million against their cap
(Source). By cutting Kluwe and going with a young punter, they saved $1 million on their cap number AND have their punter locked up for the next 3 years at cap numbers lower than the veteran minimum they would, at best, have to pay Kluwe
(Source).
Finally, moving away from the cold hard facts of his stats and his contract, let’s peak at two more subjective pieces of supporting fact. The Vikings did the same thing to their field goal kicker, who isn’t an outspoken activist, the year before. Veteran Ryan Longwell had a middle of the pack year in 2011, similar to what Kluwe had in 2012. He also was coming up towards the end of his contract. The Vikings decided to go younger, releasing Longwell and going with a young rookie kicker. Sound familiar? It should, it’s the same general script that happened with Kluwe. Additionally, after getting released by the Vikings Kluwe joined on with the Raiders at a lower salary. Did he make that team? No, he got beat out by a young punter.
UNLIKE Phil Robertson, there is clear and substantial evidence to show that Kluwe had his job terminated NOT because of his statements and speech, but rather because of his performance on the job. So the sad attempt to actually connect the two of them doesn’t just look desperate, it looks foolish.
Now,
IF the Vikings released him because of his views, which I don’t believe…then that’s their prerogative just as I felt it was A&E’s prerogative. I’d think it’d be dumb to do JUST for that, as I did with A&E. However, I don’t believe that to be the case. What I think is more likely is that the fact he was causing a distraction that was the issue.
Football teams don’t like distractions. Case in point…you have a 2 time NCAA championship winning, Heisman trophy winning, QB with a playoff victory in his pocket over Ben Roethlisberger and the respected Pittsburgh Steelers, whose only 26 and who can’t even get onto a team as the 3rd string QB. Why can Tim Tebow not get a job? Because of the distraction his presence causes. Note, unlike Kluwe, this wouldn’t even necessarily be due to things he’s actively DOING or SAYING currently…but simply because the media and his fans are so worked up over him that they cause the distraction.
Distractions are disliked in the NFL. If Kluwe was making noise and gaining national attention by being massively Pro-Gun, or by saying the POTUS is a muslim, or something like that then I think the Vikings, IF the distraction played into it, would’ve been just as likely to get rid of himas they would’ve because of his gay views. Because it’s not about his views, it’s about the distraction.
However, I think first and foremost…as illustrated by the facts I showed above…I believe this was a football decision. Was it a football decision made easier because it also got rid of a distraction? Quite likely. But there’s plenty of facts to support that Kluwe was released because of FOOTBALL issues. There’s next to no facts, other than Kluwe’s opinions and statements, to indicate he was fired for his beliefs.
I like Kluwe, at times I find him entertaining, hell I had friends who ran Raids with him years ago.....but he's ridiculously wrong here.