Tag: Chris Kluwe
NFL Players Association announces gay pride t-shirts
The NFL Players Association has launched a line of gay pride shirts on their website.
All proceeds from the shirts will go to Athlete Ally, the anti-homophobia in sports organization founded by Hudson Taylor.
“I am extremely proud to be a part of this collaboration between Athlete Ally and the NFLPA’s One Team Shop to raise awareness both of Pride Month and the issue of tolerance and respect within the NFL itself,” said Chris Kluwe, punter for the Oakland Raiders. “As players, we are role models to a wide variety of people, and this is a great way to send a message of empathy to those who love and watch the game. Also, I’m pretty stoked that people can buy something with my number on it.”
“June is a special month for the LGBT community,” said Super Bowl Champion Brendon Ayanbadejo. “I am extremely excited that the NFLPA’s One Team Shop is adding its name to the list of ever-growing allies. The simple fact that football players believe in equality for every human being is going to make an impact on a lot of peoples’ lives.” Steve Gleason, a former NFL Player supporting this effort said, “It’s pretty simple for me, I believe all people are created equal, regardless of their sexuality. To promote respect and acceptance is an important role for NFL players and the NFLPA.”
The One Team Pride Shirts include the option to add the jersey number of the following players: Brendon Ayanbadejo, Connor Barwin, Scott Fujita, Steve Gleason, Chris Gocong, Chris Kluwe, Donte’ Stallworth, Terrell Suggs and Eric Winston.
Now, you KNOW I’m totally getting the Chris Kluwe shirt.
Head over to One Team Shop by clicking here to take a look. Then BUY something 🙂
Chris Kluwe, NFL punter & LGBT ally signed by Oakland raiders
NFL punter and LGBT ally Chris Kluwe has been signed by the Oakland Raiders, FOX Sports reports:
“Kluwe, who was released by the Minnesota Vikings on May 6, will step in for Pro Bowler Shane Lechler, who left Oakland for the Houston Texans via free agency. Kluwe’s contract is for one year, and is for the league minimum.”
Quote of the day: Chris Kluwe
Chris Kluwe, NFL kicker and LGBT ally, was cut this week by the Minnesota Vikings after 8 seasons amid talk that his support for the LGBT community was becoming a “distraction.” In typical Kluwe style, Chris had this to say to the Huffington Post about choosing to play football or speaking out for something he believes in:
“I love football, I love playing football but at the end of the day, it is a children’s game that grown men play.
“If I can speak out on something, especially something that affects millions of lives and causes young kids to kill themselves – if I can speak out on that and help one of those young kids realize that you don’t have to take that step, to me that’s worth far more than anything that I could gain from football.
“I think all that we’re asking and all that any athlete is asking, straight or gay, is judge that person by what they can do on the field. Not by who they are, not by what their beliefs are or the color of their skin. Judge them by their playing abilities.”
(Via JMG)
Minnesota: Vikings cut LGBT ally Chris Kluwe
As Chris Kluwe forecast after they drafted UCLA punter Jeff Locke in the fifth round last week, the Minnesota Vikings have released him.
From the Star Tribune:
The 31-year-old was given the news Monday morning at Winter Park during a meeting with General Manager Rick Spielman. Kluwe had been anticipating the move, one that became transparent April 27 when the team used a fifth-round draft pick on UCLA punter Jeff Locke.
Locke participated in the team’s three-day rookie mini-camp over the weekend and fared well enough for the Vikings to feel totally secure in selecting him. And that meant kicking the door open and sending Kluwe on his way.
While the Vikings won’t admit it, it’s clear Kluwe’s public support for equality became a headache for the team. Punters in the NFL rarely have the kind of high profile, political voice Kluwe has demonstrated. I imagine the Vikings would very much like to have a punter in the more “anonymous” vein.
I do love this quote from Chip Scoggins – pretty much sums it up:
Kluwe’s departure will make the Vikings locker room a lot more dull because he is incredibly intelligent, articulate and passionate about societal issues. He’s a fascinating individual in a sport that breeds conformity. The NFL has become so big and so powerful that players often cling to political correctness for fear that a ripple might swell into a tidal wave. Kluwe is that surfer dude on top of the wave, hanging 10 on any issue that stirs his emotion.
Kluwe, always a class act, wrote this on Twitter as the news broke:
Minnesota: Is the Vikings Chris Kluwe on the “cut” list?
On Saturday, the Minnesota Vikings drafted UCLA punter Jeff Locke in the fifth round. Some see this as writing on the wall that the Vikings current kicker (and LGBT ally), Chris Kluwe, may be on his way out, and that the reason for his exit will be “distractions” related to activism for LGBT civil rights, NBC Sports’ Mike Florio reports:
Of course, the distractions weren’t a problem when Kluwe was staying up very late playing Guitar Hero and Worlds of Warcraft, or staying out very late on Friday night doing shows with his band. After Kluwe opted to get behind a controversial social cause while also getting to bed at a decent hour, the team opted to acquire a player who, given that he was selected in round five, will likely have the field tilted in his favor when it comes to determining whether he or Kluwe gets the Water Pik.
Kluwe told Florio: “It’s a shame that in a league with players given multiple second chances after arrests, including felony arrests, that speaking out on human rights has a chance of getting you cut,” Kluwe told PFT via text message.
(via Towleroad)
CNN: Chris Kluwe – “An openly gay player in the NFL is not a distraction”
Chris Kluwe continues to impress the hell out of me with his smarts, clarity and passion.
Chris Kluwe, punter for the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL, is an ambassador for Athlete Ally, an organization working to end homophobia in sports. And he’s an all-around great guy.
After the above appearance with Anderson Cooper on CNN, he penned this special op-ed for CNN.com. Here’s just a bit of Chris Kluwe’s fabulosity:
Why do people care so much about someone else’s sexuality? Why do people give two s***s how someone else lives his life? Why do people have this absolutely idiotic notion that being gay has any sort of effect on how well a player can play football, or basketball, or baseball? Why the f*** do I even have to write this column for a major news organization to talk about something that shouldn’t even remotely be a factor in sports? Well, the reason is simple. I’m writing this because no gay player is currently out, and the first gay player who eventually does come out needs to know that — despite all the indoctrination from the league about not being a distraction — if he’s the one to take the first step, he will have allies. He will have support. He will have those of us who realize that people’s sexuality doesn’t define who they are, just as their jobs don’t define who they are, and that guys who bring our wives and children to games and team events are no different than those who would bring their husbands and children. Most importantly, I’m writing this so that coaches, managers, players, owners and fans realize that the first gay player who comes out won’t spontaneously cause rainbows to erupt out of everyone’s rear.
Make sure you read the entire essay. And follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisWarcraft
Chris Kluwe – you rock. Period.
And – thank you.
Chris Kluwe – “Only one thing matters: can you play?”
“If any NFL players happen to read this, I guarantee you’ve played with or against a gay player at some point during your career — that’s simple statistics.
“Guess what? It didn’t make him any less of a player. It didn’t make him any less able to push through conditioning drills, less able to stay awake during meetings, less able to rally for the win when down by 10 with four minutes to go in the game.
“That gay player, whether you knew it or not — he was a teammate. He was your teammate. He was my teammate.
“Just like the coaches go on and on about every preseason: Once you step between those white lines, it doesn’t matter who you are, where you came from, what you believe or when you were born. There’s only one thing that matters, and that’s ‘Can you play?'” – Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, writing for Salon.
(via JMG)
NFL’s Brendon Ayanbadejo & Chris Kluwe respond to Chris Culliver’s anti-gay remarks
Baltimore Raven Brendon Ayanbadejo’s reaction to Chris Culliver’s anti-gay remarks:
“You know, I think that in San Francisco, and being from the Bay Area myself, that’s something that we really try to preach — love and acceptance of everybody. And so I couldn’t really even say anything negative to the young man. It’s just one of those things where you have to live and you have to learn. And I said earlier on (a TV broadcast) — in the words of Martin Luther King, you can’t fight hate with hate. You have to fight hate with love. We’ve all made our mistakes, we’ve all been there and done certain things, and we’ve hurt people regardless if we meant to do it or not. But more than anything it’s an opportunity to have a learning experience.”
And the Minnesota Vikings Chris Kluwe had this to say:
“While he’s certainly entitled to speak his mind, Culliver is a role model whether he likes it or not. There are kids all over the United States who aspire to be right where he is and he has an obligation to consider the effect of his words. Kids are listening.”
Chris Kluwe – Traveling to new countries
Chris Kluwe makes me laugh. Out loud.