Chris Kluwe, an outspoken gay rights advocate and NFL punter, was released from the Minnesota Vikings Monday, sparking speculation that he might have been ousted from the team because of his noticeable role in the gay rights movement.
While the punter's release isn't too shocking considering the Vikings drafted another punter last month, many believe that the team was motivated to get rid of Kluwe because of his association with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, community.
Kluwe said his goodbyes to Minnesota via Twitter Monday morning following his release.
"So long, Minnesota, and thanks for all the fish! Thank you to all the fans, my teammates, and the Wilf family for the past 8.5 years. I wouldn't have traded it for anything."
Chip Scoggins, columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune asserted that Kluwe was released because of his outspoken advocacy.
"Regardless of whether they admit it, the Vikings are jettisoning Kluwe partly because they grew tired of his outspokenness," he wrote.
"It's naïve to think the move is based solely on his age (31), salary ($1.4 million) or how he performed last season (inconsistently). Kluwe has become the most visible punter in NFL history because of his social activism."
But Kluwe says that even if the speculation regarding his release turned out to be true, he would not be upset.
"I think the sacrifice would be worth it," he told Scoggins.
"Now, I would hope that I would get the chance to play football again, because I think I can still play. But if it ends up being something that costs me that position, I think making people aware of an issue that is causing children to commit suicide is more important than kicking a leather ball."
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman responded to Kluwe's release in a statement Monday.
"Chris has meant a great deal to the Vikings both on and off the field in his eight seasons here," he said.
"He contributed to many victories and we wish Chris and his family the best and thank him for his contributions to the Vikings organization. Out of respect to Chris, we decided to release him now and allow time for him to sign with another team."