NFL

Why Chris Kluwe thinks he’s exactly like Tim Tebow

They’re the Odd Couple of NFL outcasts.

Chris Kluwe is a shaggy-haired, pro-gay-rights punter and Tim Tebow is a clean-cut, outspoken Christian quarterback. What do they have in common? Both are out of the NFL, and Kluwe said on “Olbermann” he believes it is for similar reasons.

“As much as we are polar opposites on the things we stand for, Tebow is the exact same way,” said Kluwe, who wrote a blistering article for Deadspin last week claiming the Vikings released him for being vocal in support of gay marriage rights. He called special teams coach Mike Priefer a “bigot” and former coach Leslie Frazier and current GM Rick Spielman “cowards” for agreeing to his ouster.

“There are backup quarterbacks in the NFL right now that Tebow is certainly better than — he could fill a role with a team. But because he brings this other stuff with him, just like I bring my other stuff with me, teams look at it like, ‘We don’t want it. We don’t want players speaking out. We don’t want players doing anything other than football.’”

Kluwe believes writing the article for Deadspin could have ended any chance he had of returning to the NFL. Also last week, Tebow agreed to a multi-year deal with ESPN to be a college football analyst. The unorthodox quarterback does hope to get another chance in the NFL, but many saw his move to television as a realization that an offer isn’t coming soon.

Tebow’s strong religious beliefs and success at the University of Florida made him a lightning rod with the Broncos and then the Jets, putting a huge media spotlight on both franchises when he was on the roster.

“I think anyone speaking up about anything, the NFL is kind of like, ‘You might alienate a portion of our market, so don’t do that. Just be football. Just be football,’” Kluwe said.