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Ex-Vikings Punter Says He Was Released Due To Public Support Of Gay Marriage

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minnesota punter Chris Kluwe says the team's special teams coordinator made anti-gay comments while Kluwe was with the Vikings.

Kluwe wrote a scathing article on the website Deadspin on Thursday. In it, he alleges that coach Mike Priefer made several anti-gay comments in objection to Kluwe's outspoken support of a gay marriage amendment in Minnesota.

Kluwe also said coach Leslie Frazier and general manager Rick Spielman encouraged him to tone down his public rhetoric on gay marriage and several other issues. Kluwe was cut last summer and did not play in the NFL this season.

The Vikings issued a statement saying they take the allegations seriously. They also say he was released because of his football performance, not something else.

(© 2014 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)

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