Kluwe, Vikings appear to be closing in on settlement
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings and former punter Chris Kluwe are still negotiating terms of a settlement but could be closing in on a deal, according to Kluwe's lawyer, Clayton Halunen.
Kluwe, released by the team in 2012 for what he believed was his public activism, and Halunen have been planning to take legal action against the team, including claims of religious discrimination against Kluwe, sexual orientation discrimination, defamation and "torturous interference for contractual relations."
Both sides have been hoping to avoid a lawsuit and have been in negotiations since Kluwe and Halunen announced their plans of a lawsuit last month. But the suit was never filed and the two sides have continued to talk.
Kluwe announced, via Twitter on Friday evening, that a settlement had been reached but didn't disclose details.
"We've reached an agreement with the Vikings to help a lot of people going forward," Kluwe wrote on his Twitter page. "More details will be forthcoming next week."
Halunen, a Minneapolis-based attorney, said an "agreement is being executed today" in an email to FOXSportsNorth.com. Halunen wouldn't offer details, only saying a press conference would be held Tuesday morning to discuss the details.
A Vikings' official said no settlement has been finalized and discussion between the two sides continues.
Kluwe's allegations against the Vikings began in January after he penned a strongly-worded article for the website Deadspin.com, which outlined several instances of homophobic remarks made by Priefer, who was retained under new coach Mike Zimmer after Leslie Frazier was fired.
An investigation of Priefer's actions supported one of Kluwe's claims against Priefer.
Priefer was suspended for the first three games of the regular season by the team and asked to undergo sensitivity training. The suspension can be reduced by one game by the team's owners if they feel Priefer has acted accordingly and gone through the training.
Kluwe has been out of football since being released by the Oakland Raiders in preseason last year. He signed with Oakland after his offseason release by Minnesota.
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