I'll be honest, I've hated Chris Kluwe since the second he donned a UCLA uniform. Never in my life have I heard or seen more comments directed towards / coming from a punter. And that was in college. Since he realized that he was a little bit of a social media darling at UCLA, he tried to parlay that into becoming a sports personality off the field in the NFL. I smiled patiently and waited for his demise.
There was always one massive problem with Kluwe - punters and kickers are supposed to be seen, but definitely NOT HEARD. Kluwe's hubris led him to believe that he wasn't expendable, while I would say that he is the 2nd most expendable player (besides longsnapper) on any team. I vividly remember saying that Kluwe would blame his firing on his gay rights views the very day he was cut from the Vikings. You don't see Kerry Rhodes blasting his former team as bigoted. He was a starting corner in the NFL until some "borderline" pictures surfaced. If a starting cornerback can get cut from a team for the mere possibility of a gay relationship, how much do you think the Vikings wanted their punter making controversial headlines? Do you think the Vikings wanted GLAAD to be hanging out in the locker room for an Incognito-esque slip of the gay-bashing tongue?
Neither do I.
The key here is understanding your value. It is a whole lot easier for the Vikings to find someone to average 40 yds per punt than to have coaches answering questions about their punter's off the field comments. Know your place. And know when to STFU, especially if you're a punter.
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