A former Minnesota Vikings punter turned high school football coach was fired for his strong comments related to the Make America Great Again movement of President Donald Trump. The league has a long history of historical activism.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick protested police brutality during the national anthem. The action got him booted from playing in the league. 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa wore a MAGA hat following a game during the 2024 campaign and was fined $11,255 for the action.
Former Minnesota Vikings punter was fired
Per Josh Peter of USA Today, former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe was fired from his job as a football coach at Edison High School in Huntington Beach, California after his participation in an anti-MAGA protest led to his arrest. He called the MAGA “a Nazi movement” during a Huntington Beach City Council meeting in February.
“First thing Ed (Begany, vice principal of supervision) said was, ‘Hey, the school’s just getting too much attention and we’re going to have to let you go’ so essentially they fired me,” Kluwe said. “They did give me the offer to resign, but I told them that they would have to fire me because I wanted this community to know that this is what MAGA does.
“They take away resources from the community to make themselves feel better. I don’t know where Edison’s going to find another former professional football player to coach freshman football.”
Chris Kluwe has a history of activism
Kluwe played for the Seattle Seahawks in 2005 before signing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2005. He played in Minnesota through 2012. He finished his career with the Oakland Raiders in 2013.
Kluwe earned PFWA All-Rookie Team honors in 2005. He was a standout punter at UCLA, earning second-team All-Pac-10 in 2004.
Kluwe has a history of activism that includes advocating for same-sex rights, claiming that was one reason the Vikings cut him.
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