In the ever-changing world of the NFL, there is only one question; what have you done for me lately? Every off-season, hundreds of current players get cut from their teams and are forced to look elsewhere for work. However, the 2013 off-season has proven to be one of the most historic off-seasons in all of sports. Depending on what side of the fence you fall on, history may be progressive or regressive.
Former Minnesota Vikings punter, Chris Kluwe and former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo have been at the forefront of the 2013 NFL off-season. It has been well documented that both Kluwe and Ayanbadejo were cut by their former teams and these moves have left some wondering if it had more to do with just their on-field production. Kluwe and Ayanbadejo are Gay Rights advocates and both have been very outspoken about their opinions. In the 21st century, you would hate to think that this kind of discrimination still exists. It is necessary to understand both perspectives to fully comprehend the issue in its’ totality.
From a ‘pure football stance’, you could argue that Chris Kluwe was cut from the Vikings because of his performance and the fact that they selected UCLA punter Jeff Locke in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft. The Vikings have never drafted a punter as high as they did Locke and they haven’t selected a punter in the last 10 years. Kluwe was expected to make $1.45 million this coming season, $900,000 less than Locke. Kluwe ranked 31st out of 32 in number of punts landed inside the 20-yard line last season. He also ranked 22nd out of 32 in net yard average. Even to someone who knows nothing about football, 31 out of 32 is not very good.
Brendon Ayanbadejo has been an outspoken Gay Rights activist dating back to 2009. Again, from a ‘pure football stance’, Ayanbadejo wasn’t exactly impressive on the field, recording a mere 27 tackles last season. Although he is primarily a special teams player and has been named to 3 Pro Bowls, teams tend to draft younger, faster and more importantly, cheaper players in an effort to replace production, or lack there of in this case. Simply put, in the salary cap era, teams are forced to cut players that aren’t meeting the standards for production. This happens every year with every team and cannot be overlooked to truly grasp an understanding of the pure football stance. The Ravens even parted with future Hall of Famer, Ed Reed, to abide by the rules of the salary cap and field a competitive team for their title defense. Perhaps we should all consider these questions before judging the Ravens’ and Vikings’ personnel decisions. Can you really blame the Vikings or Ravens for cutting Kluwe or Ayanbadejo after their sub-par performances last season? Can you blame this solely on their advocacy for Gay rights? Why would the Raven’s wait until now to take action against Ayanbadejo when he’s been outspoken in favor of Gay Rights since 2009?
Now, stepping away from a ‘pure football stance’, LGBT right advocates have a legitimate gripel. The Vikings could have very well allowed Kluwe to enter training camp and compete for position against Rookie Jeff Locke. Just as the Ravens could have retained a player like Ayanbadejo, a proven champion who’s shown himself to be the model of professionalism. What most don’t quite understand is how difficult it is to go against public opinion. Both Kluwe and Ayanbadejo have opened up the discussion of homosexuality and homophobia in sports and the NFL in particular. Unfortunately, with the release of Kluwe and Ayanbadejo, the prospect of any other players coming forward and revealing their homosexuality may be less likely. The issue of homosexuality is really uncharted territory for all professional athletes and they have been put on notice that sexual orientation can and will have an impact on their careers. Whether this is fair or not, we need more courageous players like Kluwe and Ayanbadejo to keep challenging societal norms. It is important for LGBT advocates to understand the significance of what Kluwe and Ayanbadejo have been able to achieve in such a short period of time.
By: Justin Lerner