Former Minnesota Vikings Punter Arrested for Anti-MAGA Protest

Chris Kluwe - Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Thomas Campbell-Imagn Images

The city council of Huntington Beach, Cali. unanimously approved the placing of a plaque at a library, Tuesday, but not without protest. The plaque featured an acrostic – a composition of words where the first letters form a name or motto. That motto was MAGA.

The plaque commemorating the library’s 50th anniversary describes the library as “magical,” “alluring,” “galvanizing” and “adventurous.” It also quotes former President Barack Obama: “Through hope and change our nation has built back better to the golden era of Making America Great Again!”

Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe arrested

Former Minnesota Vikings punter and known advocate for same-sex marriage, Chris Kluwe, took issue with the plaque and protested its approval during a Huntington Beach City Council meeting, Tuesday.

MAGA stands for trying to erase trans people from existence. MAGA stands for re-segregation and racism. MAGA stands for censorship and book bans. MAGA stands for firing air traffic controllers while planes are crashing. MAGA stands for firing the people overseeing our nuclear arsenal. MAGA stands for firing military veterans and those serving them at the VA, including canceling research on veteran suicide. MAGA stands for cutting funds to education, including for disabled children. MAGA is profoundly corrupt, unmistakably anti-democracy, and, most importantly, MAGA is explicitly a Nazi movement. You may have replaced a swastika with a red hat, but that is what it is.

Chris Kluwe, former Minnesota Vikings’ punter

Related: Minnesota Vikings Get a Familiar Futbol Comparison

Kluwe then said he would “now engage in the time-honored, American tradition of peaceful, civil disobedience.” He approached the city council, was intercepted by a police officer and arrested. He spent four hours in custody, according to the OC Register. Kluwe was complimentary of the arresting officers and further explained his intentions.

This was done not with the intention of changing the council’s mind, because I don’t think those minds can be changed. It was done so that people who are watching and people who will watch understand that this is important enough to get arrested for. That it’s important to stand up and speak truth to power and to do so in a way that other people can emulate. A public library is supposed to be welcoming to anyone who wants to come in and check out a book and learn. And so this attempt to politicize it with an explicit MAGA reference on the plaque shows that they don’t care about the public library. They care about making a propaganda statement.

Chris Kluwe, per Michael Slaten of the OC Register

Kluwe alleges MN Vikings cut him over his advocacy efforts

Back in 2012, Chris Kluwe was basically a league-average punter based on net yards per punt (including blocked punts). That wasn’t good enough to keep his job given his $1.35 million contract. The Minnesota Vikings released him after drafting Jeff Locke in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Locke ended up being slightly below league average in his rookie season. He was paid less than $590,000.

RkPlayerAgeTeamGPntYdsY/PRetYdsNetYdsNY/P
LngTBInside 20% Inside 20BlockedAwards
1Andy Lee30SFO1667322648.1249289743.26643653.70AP-1
2Thomas Morstead26NOR1674370750.1391319643.27062027.00PB,AP-2
3Britton Colquitt27DEN1667309946.3203282242.16742740.30
4Kevin Huber27CIN1676354046.6210319042.06973343.40
5Brandon Fields28MIA1673366650.2484305141.86792939.70
6Dave Zastudil34ARI16112520946.5415463441.47084641.10
7Bryan Anger24JAX1691435347.8495375840.87353134.11
8Sam Koch30BAL1683391147.1383338840.86072833.70
9Jon Ryan31SEA1665296345.6252265140.87333046.20
10Dustin Colquitt30KAN1683388746.8362338540.87174554.20PB
11Matthew Bosher25ATL1660284747.5241252640.76342236.72
12Mike Scifres32SDG1681391448.3362341240.66673037.03
13Donnie Jones32HOU1688415047.2483356740.56652831.80
14Brett Kern26TEN1681385547.6405335040.47153037.02
15Pat McAfee25IND1673350047.9375298540.36482635.61
16Johnny Hekker22STL1682375645.8402327439.96842226.80
17Chris Kluwe31MIN1672323745.0341285639.75921825.00
Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/20/2025

In 2012, Kluwe voiced his support of same-sex marriage on behalf of the group Minnesotans for Marriage Equality, a group highly regarded in the LGBTQ+ community. Kluwe also wrote an op-ed for Deadspin about his experience as an active player/advocate, alleging that then-Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer starting using homophobic language in his presence.

The Vikings suspended Priefer because of the allegations. Kluwe alleged Priefer interrupted teammates jokingly discussing Kluwe leading the Pride parade by saying, “We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows.”

Related: Former Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Lands Job with Bill Belichick

According to Kluwe’s allegations, then-Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier twice asked the punter to stop advocating for same-sex marriage until he was “overruled” by Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf. A resulting independent investigation found no truth in those allegations.

The investigators found that Priefer made a single homophobic comment to Kluwe, and according to long snapper Cullen Loeffler, he made the statement because Kluwe and Loeffler were not focused on football during practice.

The investigation also didn’t find evidence that anybody from the franchise tried to stop Kluwe from engaging in his activism, and the investigators said that “other than the statement allegedly made by Priefer, the record is devoid of any support for the contention that the team harbored a homophobic hostile work environment.”

CBS Sports (July, 2014)

Chris Kluwe hit free agency in 2013 where he signed with the Raiders, but did not make the team out of camp. Kluwe’s Bluesky account bio reads: “Troublemaker extraordinaire.” While his football career is long over, his advocacy/troublemaking continues.

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