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| Chris Kluwe (Photo credit: rburtzel) |
Kluwe had been a relatively decent NFL punter before he became known for something other than football. He wrote a highly profane letter in support of Brendon Ayanbedejo to a Maryland politician, who wondered why the Baltimore Ravens didn't discipline the player for his advocacy of same sex marriage. It went viral, and suddenly Kluwe became a nationally-known expert on the subject.
While Kluwe made many personal and media appearances to take advantage of his newfound fame, his punting suffered to the point where it was only a matter of time when he and the Vikings would part ways.
We will never know if the Vikings letting Kluwe go was a football decision, or if they simply got tired of all his off-the-field activism. For a franchise that has survived Brett Favre, Randy Moss and a party boat scandal, they're now focused on getting rid of players whom they consider distractions. You'll notice that they passed on Manti Te'o, famous for having a fake dead girlfriend, three times in the first round of the NFL draft before he was taken in the second round by the San Diego Chargers.
Kluwe has become the NFL's version of Natalie Maines. You remember the Dixie Chicks? They were a country music trio that sold millions of records in the 1990s and early 2000s with hits like "Landslide", "Goodbye Earl" and "Wide Open Spaces". Then Maines made a disparaging remark about President George W. Bush at a 2003 London concert prior to the Iraq War. Almost overnight, the Chicks became radioactive in the conservative country music establishment, and a lightning rod for other right-thinking, flag-waving, support-the-troops zealots.
Kluwe might find another NFL team to kick footballs for before next season starts. Then again, he might not. Ayanbadejo, by the way, has since been cut by the Ravens and remains unemployed.
For the Dixie Chicks, it was "shut up and sing". For Chris Kluwe, it's "shut up and play football". Are either of them ready to make nice?
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