By Sam Ekstrom
In the five-week interval between mandatory mini-camp and the start of training camp, teams would prefer to stay out of the limelight. Players should be back home working out and getting in training camp shape, and coaches should be watching film and developing plans for how to use their personnel. No news is good news on the media front.
The recent Chris Kluwe news is upsetting the comfortable status quo.
On Jan. 2, Kluwe wrote his scathing Deadspin article that incriminated Mike Priefer. In the piece, the former Vikings punter says: “I hope the issue will have died down before next season starts.” But, over six months later, the drama continues as training camp approaches within the next week, and Kluwe is threatening to sue the Vikings if they do not release the findings of their investigation.
There is no protagonist in this entire affair. There is no compromising outcome that could alleviate the blame for both sides. There can no PR winner. Kluwe looks selfish for trying to burn down an organization he felt wronged by after he had nothing personally at stake, Priefer has a permanent scarlet letter across his chest from Kluwe’s accusations (unless Kluwe admits he made the entire thing up, which is highly improbable), and the Vikings look naïve for retaining Priefer when they could have cut ties with him in January.
Let’s start with Kluwe. Nobody doubts his conviction on social issues. Not only has he carried the torch for same-sex marriage, but he’s been outspoken about the Pope, the U.S. Congress and foreign policy as well. Just take a quick scroll down his famously handled @ChrisWarcraft Twitter feed. You’ll see a man who is not afraid to share his opinion with nearly 200,000 others and appears to have genuine motivation to promote social change. For this, Kluwe deserves applause.
But his timing couldn’t be much worse. His initial article came out just three days following Leslie Frazier’s departure, thereby forcing a huge burden upon the new coaching staff. This week, with his threat to sue, Kluwe cast a negative cloud over Vikings’ training camp. Every reporter will now have the obligation to ask awkward questions they know coaches will resist answering, much like Coach Priefer did during mini-camp when asked about the investigation.
“My focus has been totally on football,” Priefer said.
In Kluwe’s push for justice, the former punter, no doubt, wants to steal headlines. People call him an attention hog, but isn’t that anybody’s goal when trying to change society? Kluwe isn’t going to be quiet and allow people to put this topic on the backburner, and he’s going to call people out – like the entire Vikings organization – if they attempt to do so.
But there’s still something disconcerting about Kluwe’s mission to take the Vikings down with him now that his career has sputtered out. He is standing up for what’s right… but only after he lost his job and couldn’t find another one. Placekicker Ryan Longwell was released a year prior to Kluwe when the Vikings drafted Blair Walsh. The move made sense for football reasons; the Vikings wanted to get younger. Kluwe clearly thought there was something more insidious involved in his own departure, something more than football. But if Kluwe suspected this vendetta from Priefer, he didn’t go to great lengths to clear up the discrepancy. Kluwe indicates in his article that he and Priefer barely talked in-season or out of season. There was no apparent attempt to sit down with the coach – maybe once the pressure of the season was over – and reconcile.
Kluwe’s teammates haven’t exactly rallied to his aid either. Kicker Blair Walsh called Kluwe’s claims “reprehensible” in a statement to USA Today, though Kluwe claimed he and Walsh had exchanged text messages about Priefer’s negative comments. Jerome Felton and Harrison Smith also tweeted messages of support for Priefer.
With the deck seemingly stacked against him, Kluwe continues to press on. By all accounts, he is a highly intelligent man, and he’s going to get what he wants. That’s why this doesn’t bode well for Priefer either.
It’s unlikely that Priefer is as vitriolic a man as Kluwe claims, but he is probably not a saint either. Priefer, a former navy pilot, has been known to be an authoritarian coach – a Les Steckel type – who doesn’t mince words. He has high expectations for his special teams units and lets them know when they fall short of them.
We may never know exactly what Priefer said to Kluwe or how many times he disparaged his beliefs. But an indictment of character this harsh – exaggerated or not – tarnishes Priefer’s reputation. If the report proves Kluwe’s claims, then Priefer’s current job may be in jeopardy, not to mention any future employment in the NFL. If the report comes out in favor of Priefer, well, he still won’t be able to erase the accusations.
While Priefer and Kluwe have personal reputations at stake, the Vikings organization as a whole finds itself in an uncomfortable spot, too. The team had every excuse to clean house after Leslie Frazier’s axing but intentionally retained their special teams coach. The Vikings valued Priefer so highly as a coach that they now risk having to suspend him during the season, or worse, if he is incriminated.
With the team entering an outdoor stadium, Priefer’s presence is needed to coach the specialists. In an area of football that is so detail oriented, the Vikings can ill afford to lose a coordinator early in the season. The Vikings risked keeping Priefer and may now face the consequences. Not only could the special teams suffer, but the team looks bad for potentially turning a blind eye to Priefer’s actions.
Ironically, Kluwe claimed the Vikings cut him because his provocative views created unwanted headlines. But the team failed to separate itself from Priefer, who may find himself as the next Donald Sterling; a living demonstration that every word you say as an authority figure is under a microscope.
The Vikings have to hope this process gets expedited and doesn’t linger as the season approaches. One thing is clear: There will be no winners.
UPDATE: On Friday evening, the Vikings released a summary of the 150-page investigation report. According to the report, Priefer admitted to making the disparaging remark that Kluwe referenced in his article but was not found guilty of any other misconduct. Furthermore, the Vikings organization was not considered to be a hostile work environment. Priefer was suspended three games without pay for his remark — potentially two games if he attends sensitivity training. Kluwe still plans to sue the team because they failed to release the entire 150-page report.
Sam Ekstrom is a staff writer for Cold Omaha at 105 The Ticket. He has previously served as a play-by-play broadcaster in Iowa and South Dakota and has covered Minnesota sports since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @SamEkstrom for further insights.