MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings have hired the attorney who investigated the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal and another who played a prominent role in the fight for marriage equality to help in settlement talks with former punter Chris Kluwe.
Ted Wells, whose investigation in Miami found that guard Richie Incognito and two teammates engaged in persistent harassment of lineman Jonathan Martin, and Roberta Kaplan, who argued successfully in front of the Supreme Court last year that a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional, were retained on Tuesday.
The two attorneys will engage with Kluwe, who accused the team of cutting him because of his outspoken support of gay marriage. The Vikings issued a summary of the report earlier this month that found no merit in that claim, but it did confirm Kluwe’s accusation that special teams coach Mike Priefer made anti-gay remarks during practice.
The Vikings suspended Priefer for the first three games of the coming season, but Kluwe has threatened to sue the team if it does not release the full report.
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“We pride ourselves on the workplace environment that we have created, centered on diversity, tolerance and respect,” Vikings executive vice president for legal affairs Kevin Warren said.
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Kaplan has a history of championing gay rights causes, including in United States vs. Windsor, in which the Supreme Court ruled that a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act illegally denied legally married same-sex couples access to marriage benefits.
Wells’ investigation of the Dolphins detailed widespread harassment in the team’s locker room. The Dolphins fired their offensive line coach and a longtime trainer and vowed to instill a new culture of acceptance and civility in the wake of the report.
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