Chris Kluwe says witnesses can back up anti-gay claims against Mike Priefer
Thu. January 9, 2014 8:49 AM by OnTopMag.com
Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has said that witnesses can back up his claims against Mike Priefer.
Kluwe wrote in a scathing op-ed published last week that he was fired from the team by special-teams coordinator Priefer, whom he called a "bigot," and two "cowards": then-head coach Leslie Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman.
Kluwe alleged that Priefer made several anti-gay comments in the course of objecting to his advocacy on the issue of marriage equality and quoted Priefer as saying during a team meeting, "We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows."
Priefer immediately and "vehemently" denied the charges. The Vikings responded by hiring outside counsel to investigate the claims.
Appearing on CNN, Kluwe told host Anderson Cooper that witnesses can corroborate his story.
"There are witnesses to all the things I put in that piece on Deadspin," Kluwe said. "And, you know, I made sure that I had witnesses, because otherwise that's a very easy defamation of character case. And it would be pretty easy for him to prevail in the court of law."
"I'm 100 percent confident in everything that I related as how it happened and really encouraged by the fact that the Vikings are taking it seriously and opening an independent investigation, because I think once they talk with people, they'll find out what happened."
He added that he was "confident" players would back up his account "because it's the right thing to do."
Kluwe wrote in a scathing op-ed published last week that he was fired from the team by special-teams coordinator Priefer, whom he called a "bigot," and two "cowards": then-head coach Leslie Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman.
Kluwe alleged that Priefer made several anti-gay comments in the course of objecting to his advocacy on the issue of marriage equality and quoted Priefer as saying during a team meeting, "We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows."
Priefer immediately and "vehemently" denied the charges. The Vikings responded by hiring outside counsel to investigate the claims.
Appearing on CNN, Kluwe told host Anderson Cooper that witnesses can corroborate his story.
"There are witnesses to all the things I put in that piece on Deadspin," Kluwe said. "And, you know, I made sure that I had witnesses, because otherwise that's a very easy defamation of character case. And it would be pretty easy for him to prevail in the court of law."
"I'm 100 percent confident in everything that I related as how it happened and really encouraged by the fact that the Vikings are taking it seriously and opening an independent investigation, because I think once they talk with people, they'll find out what happened."
He added that he was "confident" players would back up his account "because it's the right thing to do."
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