AFP/Los Angeles
Former punter Chris Kluwe and the Minnesota Vikings have reached a settlement that will stop the ex-Viking from suing the team over his release.
Kluwe had accused the Vikings of cutting him in May of 2013 because of his vocal support of marriage equality and gay rights.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
As part of the settlement, Minnesota have agreed to provide financial support for human rights causes. The team will also continue to enhance its sensitivity training policy and will help raise awareness in professional sports about LGBT issues.
Kluwe claimed in a January that special teams coordinator Mike Priefer made an anti-gay comment at a team gathering. The National Football League club conducted an internal probe and suspended Priefer for three games in July.
Kluwe averaged 44.4 yards per punt over his eight seasons with Minnesota.
Meanwhile, coach Mike Pettine’s goal was to name a starting quarterback entering this week’s preseason game, the third for the Cleveland Browns and the typical dress rehearsal in which the first team plays into the second half.
Frustrated by poor results and uneven performance by Brian Hoyer and rookie Johnny Manziel, Pettine changed his mind Tuesday and will take more time to weigh the decision.
“We want to decision right, It’s the risk-reward thing,” Pettine said. “I don’t want to rush it.”
However, Pettine didn’t rule out naming a starter before Saturday’s preseason game against the St. Louis Rams in Cleveland
Practice squads will expand from eight to 10 players, effective Aug. 30, as NFL rosters are set at 53 players and practice squads can then be established the next day.
The league and the NFL Players’ Association reached agreement on the expanded practice squad roster for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Until 2004, a practice squad was only five players.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not deny a report that he was physically restrained in the team draft room from turning in Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel as their first-round pick.
Responding Tuesday to a report that Jones was restrained by his son, CEO Stephen Jones, who “snatched the Manziel card straight out of his (Jerry Jones’) hand” in May’s draft, the longtime Cowboys owner said there was truth to the report by Jim Dent.
“Figuratively speaking, it got close to that,” said Jones on 105.3 FM in Dallas. “It certainly was a big debate going on, if no place else other than my mind.”
Former punter Chris Kluwe and the Minnesota Vikings reached a settlement that calls for the team to donate to multiple groups that support gay rights.
Kluwe will drop the threat of a lawsuit against the Vikings’ organization. No financial terms of the deal were made public, but the team confirmed the two sides settled in a statement.
The Honey Badger is out of hibernation in Arizona. Cardinals safety Tryann Mathieu was activated from the physically unable to perform list Tuesday, returning from multiple knee ligament tears incurred in December.
Mathieu overtook Rashad Johnson at safety and was a key contributor as the nickel defensive back even before that. He participated in 88% of the defensive snaps for the season and in 99% of snaps in his final five games before the injury.
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert to a six-year contract through the 2019 season, the team announced.
The Steelers did not release financial details, but NFL.com reported that the deal is worth $30mn. Gilbert, a fourth-year pro who was selected in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, has started 34 regular-season games and one postseason game for the Steelers.