Chris Kluwe is no stranger to writing articulate letters.
The outspoken punter (formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, currently of the Oakland Raiders) made headlines last year with a controversial letter he penned to Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. Kluwe is a strong supporter of gay rights, and he was mocking Burns for the delegate's suggestion that Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti should prevent his players from openly supporting marriage equality.
Kluwe has gained acclaim as a pioneer for gay rights and for acceptance in the locker room, and his activism even earned him an invitation to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Pride Reception at the White House. Unfortunately for Kluwe, the Oakland Raiders have planned their mandatory minicamp for the same time: June 11-13. Kluwe, who was released by the Vikings after last season, realized he had to decline the invitation.
But being who he is, the 31-year-old RSVP'd in hilarious Chris Kluwe fashion.
Lest anyone EVER question my commitment to a team that employs me, I present exhibit A. #focus, #SOFOCUSED twitter.com/ChrisWarcraft/…
— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) May 31, 2013
And no, I did not ask if I could skip practice. Mandatory minicamps are mandatory, and I'm here to help the team win. So it goes.
— Chris Kluwe (@ChrisWarcraft) May 31, 2013
Here's the text of Kluwe's response:
Dear Mr. President (or whoever reads these things, I'm sure he's probably pretty busy (hello underappreciated email answering person!)),
It is with great regret that I must decline your invitation to attend the Reception at the White House for LGBT Pride Month on June 13th. I would really really REALLY like to be there, but unfortunately, not even the President of the United States is allowed to supersede an NFL mandatory mini-camp practice (at least insomuch as I understand the new CBA, though I could possibly be mistaken), and as a current member of the Oakland Raiders I owe it to both my teammates and my coaches to be fully prepared for the upcoming season.
I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity though, and if anything else were to ever come up it would be my distinct honor to attend. Unless we have a game. Or practice. Or mandatory hot yoga classes (we don't really have those).
Respectfully yours,
--Chris Kluwe
p.s. if you really wanted to, I'm sure I could make a late supper if an F35 were to pick me up at the field right after practice. Just saying.
p.p.s Please don't do that. Then I'd be *that guy* on the team. You know. *That* guy. (Plus it also seems an extremely unnecessary waste of taxpayer dollars)
You've got to hand it to Kluwe here. While it would be an incredible personal honor for him to visit the White House, he remains committed to his teammates and the Raiders. So now, as CBS' John Breech notes, Kluwe's only chance to step inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue would be if Oakland won the Super Bowl. And he probably shouldn't hold his breath.
