The Minnesota Vikingshave suspended special teams coordinator Mike Priefer three games without pay in response to an independent investigative report of Chris Kluwe's allegations, the team announced Friday.
Priefer will serve the suspension during the 2014 regular season. The ban may be reduced to two games if Priefer also attends individualized anti-harassment, diversity and sexual-orientation sensitivity training.Â
"I owe an apology to many people -- the Wilf family, the Minnesota Vikings organization and fans, my family, the LGBT community, Chris Kluwe and anyone else that I offended with my insensitive remark," Priefer said in a statement. "I regret what has occurred and what I said. I am extremely sorry but I will learn from this situation and will work on educating others to create more tolerance and respect."
In a Deadspin article written by Kluwe on Jan. 2, the punter accused Priefer of homophobic comments. Kluwe also alleged that he was released due to his activism for marriage equality rather than performance. The Vikings responded with an independent investigation conducted by retired judges.Â
The review found that Priefer did make a single homophobic statement to Kluwe. The investigation also found that Kluwe was released for performance reasons, as well as the distraction caused by his activism, not his actual viewpoints.Â
