[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]
From the 7 January 2014 edition of CBS This Morning:
BEN TRACY (voice-over): Chris Kluwe was one of the best punters the Minnesota Vikings ever had. Now, he's known more for kicking up controversy. Kluwe released a letter online late last week, alleging the Vikings cut him in May of last year after he publicly campaigned for same-sex marriage during the previous season.
Kluwe continues his advocacy, wearing an anti-bigotry hat. He says in 2012, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf supported his activism; but head coach Leslie Frazier asked him to stop, and special teams coach Mike Priefer became openly hostile. In his letter, Kluwe calls Frazier a 'coward' and Priefer a 'bigot.'
TRACY (on-camera): That's pretty harsh.
KLUWE: Eh, factually accurate.
TRACY: Factually accurate?
KLUWE: Yup!
TRACY: When did it cross a line for you – when you said, this isn't just about disagreeing with me; this is a bad environment?
KLUWE: It would be when Mike Priefer made his statement about we should round up all the gays and put them on an island and nuke it until it glows.
TRACY (voice-over): The Vikings have commissioned an independent review of the allegations, but in a statement, said, 'Any notion that Chris was released from our football team due to his stance on marriage equality is entirely inaccurate. Chris was released strictly based on his football performance.'
TRACY (on-camera): You basically now realized you have no career left in the NFL, so you've decided to do this now. Is it not cowardly not to do this when you saw it happening?
KLUWE: (laughs) So – so that's the damned if you do, damned if you don't part – is that if I had done it when it was happening, people would be like, why are you trying to bring a distraction on the team?