[NOTE FROM ARIF: With details of the settlement now made public, we can provide more information]
UPDATE: With the terms released, we now have more to speculate with. Per reports from Chris Tomasson at the Pioneer Press, we know the following—
Further, Chris Kluwe released this statement via twitter in regards to the report’s release, “Our worry there was that there were systemic problems being covered up, but there weren’t. Then it became, do I want this to be about me? (And prove the haters right) Or do we try to do a lot of good for a lot of other people. We’ve chosen to help those who need it, in a way that hopefully will set an example moving forward for others to follow.”
The Vikings released the following statement:
“We appreciate Chris Kluwe’s contributions to the Minnesota Vikings as a player and a member of this organization during his eight seasons in which he established many team records as our punter, and we wish him and his family the best in the future/ In regards to this matter, our focus remains on maintaining a culture of tolerance, inclusion and respect, and creating the best workplace environment for our players, coaches and staff.”
I speculated about the implications of not releasing the report as it pertains to both the Vikings and Chris Kluwe over at Vikings Journal, but suffice to say the Vikings probably dodged a bullet by being allowed to keep the report secret.
Also, Chris Kluwe and Clay Madel demanded an apology from Kevin Warren, Vikings executive vice president and chief administrative officer for two comments: that he was a punter in decline and for releasing “out of context” statements regarding the Sandusky jokes. I’m not entirely sure why he should apologize for the first, but if the context changes Chris Kluwe’s statements, then an apology makes sense—if context can.
Kevin Warren responded with a nonpology, similar to Kluwe’s non-apology apology in regards to the rape jokes:
If there’s anyone that we offended along the way while we were working on this, we were trying do the best and get to the facts and get to the truth. We just want to make sure we apologize to anyone that was really involved in this process because it was complicated and it was stressful for a lot of people involved. … But I think at the end of the day, the results that you have seen and you’ve heard, that this will build positive awareness for the LGBT community.
It’s just me personally, being the executive and an attorney internally (with the Vikings). That’s speaking for me, personally. … It’s really for the whole process. This has been a complicated situation, and we tried to handle it with integrity and professionalism and honesty. … And if anybody was kind of offended along the way, within our organization or externally, it was not done without any intent or ill will whatever. We were just trying to conduct a professional investigation.
Original story below:
Reports flew around the internet Friday evening that Chris Kluwe and the Minnesota Vikings have reached a settlement in his ongoing allegations that he not released for football reasons, but for his activism. The saga took an ugly turn last month when the Vikings released their summarized version of the independent investigation, which included some details about Kluwe’s own behavior that drew public scorn.
The reports of the settlement were confirmed by Kluwe’s lawyer and it appears a joint press conference will be held on Monday to address this case that has captured the attention of the masses around the nation.
Kluwe’s sudden willingness to abandon legal action against his former employer means the saga should soon come to a close, but I’m guessing the discussion will be reignited at least one more time. Kluwe seemed a long ways from willingly sitting down and being quiet for the benefit of the Vikings last time we heard from him, and concessions likely had to be made by both parties to reach this agreement, so I would be surprised if we didn’t learn more about Mike Priefer and the possible organizational failings when Monday rolls around.
Money will almost certainly be exchanged, with Kluwe vowing to donate it to gay rights groups, but the big question is whether or not the full report from the investigation will be released to the public.
Check back for more details. We’ll bring them to you as they become available.
View Comments
It will be nice to have it over with so we can focus on football. I miss the days the only heated debates on football message boards were over passer rating vs total QBR.
I believe the Vikings released a statement Friday that no settlement in writing has yet been achieved.
A synopsis of Kluwes final statement: We just wanted to ask if there was a systemic flaw. There wasn't.
Thanks Chris. Now that it's over, let us as fans of this organization, and citizens of this community ask if there is a flaw with the way you treated this organization which represents our community. Yes, there was. You weren't even fired because of that fact, although it certainly didn't help your cause. You continue to act like its a privilege to play this child's game for incredible sums of money. Incredible volumes of money were paid to you to do very very very little, but you complain. Money that people in this community paid to watch your below average results. People are out there struggling and sports are a way of breaking away from that. You abused this community, a community that is fairly forward thinking, and progressive. This weak result of all of your garbage has made these issues seem petty. Do you really think you accomplished anything for the LGBT community? Ohh you got some money? Great! That can be used to throw around more shamefully frivolous lawsuits. You have courage to spit in peoples faces, but you've done nothing but discourage people who stand in the middle from supporting equality.
"Great! That can be used to throw around more shamefully frivolous lawsuits."
HAMMER. NAIL. HEAD.
LGBT groups are not charities per se -- they're political organizations. Think about it: What do LGBT organizations have to spend money on except for LAWYERS? Well, political campaign donations, of course! So, in essence, these donations will be going directly to already very well-off law firms or to politicians' campaign coffers. Pop the champagne corks!
If Kluwe gave a damn about anyone or anything other than himself, he would have arranged for the ransom... er, donations to go to legitimate charity organizations that really need the money. There was an ad on the radio just today about a fund drive for the Childrens Hospitals of Minnesota. Why in the hell is the Childrens' Hospitals of Minnesota having to conduct, like, bake sales to raise funds/awareness for dying kids while the Wilf's "donations" are laundered into some high-rise law firm under the guise that it will be going to a worthy cause?
The Wilf's effed this up mightily. Even Kluwe and his attorney admitted that there was nothing in the report indicative of a wide-spread organizational problem. So why settle then? If the Wilf's were capable of thinking on their feet, they would have told Kluwe that they were prepared to make donations to an organization dedicated to assisting abused children -- like the ones Kluwe was making light of with his Penn State locker room antics -- and that he can either take it or leave it? Is Kluwe really going to say no to that? Is Kluwe really going to insist that LGBT political organizations need the money more than a shelter for abused children? What would happen to what's left of Kluwe's reputation if he did?
The Make A Wish Foundation, Breast Cancer Awareness, the Red Cross... these are legitimate charity organizations in need of legitimate resources to keep functioning. A couple million dollars to a LGBT organization amounts to about roughly three weeks of work for a prestigious law firm or a week's worth of campaign ads for a politician. On the other hand, a couple million dollars buys a hell of a lot of X-Boxes for kids staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
Kluwe and the Wilf's ought to have their own reality show. It would be a kind of live version of Beavis and the Buttheads.
Oh aren't you just a little grab bag of fun.
"LGBT groups are not charities per se — they’re political organizations. Think about it: What do LGBT organizations have to spend money on except for LAWYERS? Well, political campaign donations, of course!"
You're right of course! Imagine the idea of people seeking to be regarded as having the same rights as other Americans...what audacity, what unmitigated temerity!
I bet you tell people they are looking for "special rights," huh? Special rights like marriage, which all us "straights" enjoy.
FYI, special rights would be something like a tax exempt status, which is just so ironically reserved for the churches. But yeah, position gay rights against things like cancer, because obviously you cannot treat them independently, right?
p.s. I'm not gay, but don't let that stop you from intimating that I must be gay to give a shit.
Tomb, you're fighting a good fight, supporting activism. But there was nothing there. The team settled so that they didn't look like bad guys and get a barrage of bad press. There was no victory here. I'm not partial to fanaticism either. I don't feel the team had a winnable draw.
I look forward to finding out, though I have no interest in digging into public tax returns, whether your mention of tax exemption ends up the great gaffe. If the donations are exempt and made in Kluwes name, then actually the American tax payer just paid Kluwe because "They had other needs, like a cornerback". His reason for the claim: We needed a cornerback. His reason for settling: There wasn't a systemic flaw. All those thousands of pages we never see didn't say anything of value.
Tomb, you're fighting a good fight, supporting activism. But there was nothing there. The team settled so that they didn't look like bad guys and get a barrage of bad press. There was no victory here. I'm not partial to fanaticism either. I don't feel the team had a winnable draw.
I look forward to finding out, though I have no interest in digging into public tax returns, whether your mention of tax exemption ends up the great gaffe. If the donations are exempt and made in Kluwes name, then actually the American tax payer just paid Kluwe "remember, I choose my words wisely" because "They had other needs, like a cornerback". His reason for the claim: We needed a cornerback. His reason for settling: There wasn't a systemic flaw. All those thousands of pages we never see didn't say anything of value.
What the hell are you talking about? Honestly, it's difficult to tell to what extent you took my post out of context since the Swedish Chef is capable of propounding more coherent gibberish than you did in that post. Calm yourself down, Sparky, take a deep breath... one with the universe, one with the universe.
LGBT groups don't need millions of dollars to seek equal rights. If they did, they'd already have equal rights. Again, the only place they have to spend their money on is lawyers and politicians. It's nice to see you'd prefer money to go to corrupt politicians and ambulance-chasing attorneys over sick kids. It says a lot about you're character.
(See, two people can play the 'Spin Game'.)
Do you actually believe the bullshit you type?
The ignorance spewing from your keyboard is starting to smell. Please STFU.
Don't kid yourself Kluwe, it was always about you. You only changed your tune once you began to look like the villain.
Bye.
Kluwe bit off more than his big mouth could chew. Then he kept running his mouth even more, he only shut up once his lawyers told him to. The Vikings called his bluff so Kluwe and his lawyers had to settle. Go away has been punter.
ok, done. his next appearance will be at the excellent sugar shack on main st. in HB, ca where michelle will serve him some great coffee and breakfast
I call B.S. on the donations to the transgender organizations in Minnesota until we hear a report on this website from Big Johnny's Bigger Sister. She claims to live in Traverse County
......memoirs???? ..... oh yeah. I guess this really isn't about Kluwe ....... brother ....
So, Kluwe settles, and the cash will go to the cause(s) he supports.
What a self-serving ass, right? Right??
How does that not ring hollow when you say it out loud?
Like him or not, at least he's a man of conviction.
Tomb, do you really think this is about money?
The Wilf's got FU money. This is and always has been a publicity stunt engineered by a former Viking employee afflicted with megalomania.
But yeah, some semi obscure LGBT groups get money with Kluwe's name attached makes all the hate go away. Right? I'm sure we will all read about how Kluwe vanquished all of the hate in the world in his memoirs.
Really Ole? This is honestly where you and I part ways in a severe fashion, old friend.
He could''ve taken the money and melted away into the obscurity of time, but he didn't.
In any case, are you saying the HUGE money of punter legal services somehow decimated the poor lowly legal services of Vikings/Wilf?
Come on Ole. Critical thinking my man, the Wilfs could buy and sell Kluwe and his legal team if they were in the right. They were not. They settled. It would stand to reason they chose the better path, no?
Bottom line: Kluwe gets zero cash, his cause does. If you can disparage that, then have at it.
Pretending it's some case of HATE OR NOT HATE is crap, and you know it. Hate doesn't go away on a court case, and doesn't go away over night. Battling hate is a constant battle of attrition.
I was being facetious regarding the old Hate not Hate thingy. Sarcasm is difficult to convey over the interwebs.
You are wrong about Kluwe get's zero cash. He's writing his memoirs.
There is no way in hell he fades away to obscurity. This story is his cash cow, he just ain't gonna get any from the Wilf's
That's true, everybody knows that real money sure as hell ain't in big oil, it's in big "memoir." C'mon Ole, I understand you seem to have a dog in this hunt, for whatever reason, but really? "Memoir money?"
I think you are missing the point, Tomb. No way the Wilfs pay Kluwe a single dime. He boxed himself by his own words and actions during his time with the Vikings. To remain relevant, he claims he will tell his story in his memoirs. Meanwhile, here's some goodwill money for Gblt groups. Everyone pats themselves on the back.
Small payday for Kluwe. It's clear he is a delusional megalomaniac.
I bet you the Wilf's pay way more than a dime, Ole...and no, it's not in any way clear he
s a delusional megalomaniac....
Sure they do. Just not to Kluwe
That's what I meant by FU money
I give up. I'm gonna go eat something, or someone .
It does say something that Kluwe had to tell everyone that he would be writing about this in his "memoirs" (the memoirs of a punter... you can't make it up), doesn't it?
See above, assumed Harry Potter fan.
A man of conviction who threatened call out his teammates to get his way. A man of conviction who makes fun of boys being raped.
At least he's a man of conviction.
Ring hollow?
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! A BAD JOKE!!!!!!!!!!
No one has EVER done that before!!!!!!!! (except me every damn day).
That obviously wipes out every other thing he's done...my bad.
Jesus once called the mother of a gentile a dog, and refused to heal him until she said "if I'm a dog, throw me a bone." He then healed her son.
Does the insult nullify his actions? I only use this example because in my experience, most anti gay types are christians, and it amuses me a bit.
You have me pegged. But we should leave religion out of this.
I just do not understand why anyone would defend this guy. You say it was a bad joke...yes it was.
Cart, we go way back. I loves me some Kluwe, you hates you some Kluwe. I'm content to leave it at that, if you are, old friend.
Si' mi amigo.
Ashamed this individual was apart of such a great organization. I hope Kluwe takes one in the butt for his cause.....
Ah yes, takes one "in the butt," cuz gay. I totally get it. Real knee slapper, that. Thanks.