Top 5 Minnesota Vikings Off-Field Distractions of 2014 (So Far)
By Adam Carlson
#2: The Priefer/Kluwe Saga
As a Minnesota Vikings fan, I didn’t think there could be a bigger issue at the time when the legal battle between the Minnesota Vikings and former punter Chris Kluwe were locking horns. Yet, it is only #2 on my list.
Dec 23, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe (5) walks off the field after the game against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. The Vikings won 23-6. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports
This situation was as messy as of a breakup as they get in the NFL. Kluwe said a lot of things about the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff and players which was demolishing the then squeaky clean image that the franchise was trying to point itself in.
Instead of sitting back and taking it, the Minnesota Vikings and the focus of Kluwe’s allegations, Mike Priefer, fired back with statements of Kluwe’s own poor decisions in the locker room area.
Shots were fired back and forth, but in the end neither party came out of this a winner in the settlement. The Minnesota Vikings saw their special teams coach suspended and made donations to charity while the team’s former punter was legally bound never to discuss these issues again.
Meanwhile, both parties were made out to look like fools and the situation put a black eye on the franchise.