Former NFL player Chris Kluwe, known for his outspoken liberal views, was arrested during a city council meeting in Huntington Beach, California.
Punter Chris Kluwe dragged out of city council meeting
Kluwe delivered a fiery speech accusing the “Make America Great Again” movement of promoting harmful policies, before being subdued and removed from the venue by law enforcement.
Kluwe began by addressing the audience, stating, “I’m gonna take my time to say what MAGA has stood for these past three weeks.”
He proceeded to list a series of contentious claims. “MAGA stands for trying to erase trans people from existence. MAGA stands for resegregation and racism,” he began.
“MAGA stands for censorship and book bans. MAGA stands for firing air traffic controllers while planes are crashing. MAGA stands for firing the people overseeing our nuclear arsenal,” he rambled on.
He continued his remarks, escalating his criticism. “MAGA stands for firing military veterans and those serving them at the VA, including canceling research on veteran suicide,” Kluwe claimed.
“MAGA stands for cutting funds for education, including funds for disabled children. MAGA is profoundly corrupt, unmistakenly anti-democracy, and most importantly, MAGA is explicitly a Nazi movement.”
“You may have replaced a swastika with a red hat, but that is what it is,” he declared. “I will now engage in the time-honored American tradition of peaceful civil disobedience.”
As soon as he moved toward the council members, officers swiftly intercepted him, arresting and forcibly removing the former punter from the premises.
According to reports from the OC Register, he was charged with disrupting the assembly and released after spending about four hours in custody.
Chris Kluwe addresses arrest
Reflecting on the incident, Kluwe said, “This was done not with the intention of changing the council’s mind, because I don’t think those minds can be changed.”
“It was done so that people who are watching and people who will watch understand that this is important enough to get arrested for,” he added.
“That it’s important to stand up and speak truth to power and to do so in a way that other people can emulate.”
The controversy centered on a plaque displayed in a public library that allegedly contained a subtle “MAGA” reference by incorporating its initials as the first letters in certain words.
Criticizing it as inappropriate, Kluwe remarked, “A public library is supposed to be welcoming to anyone who wants to come in and check out a book and learn. And so this attempt to politicize it with an explicit MAGA reference on the plaque shows that they don’t care about the public library. They care about making a propaganda statement.”
Chris Kluwe, now 43, is an atheist and former professional football player who primarily served as a punter for the Minnesota Vikings but also had stints with the Raiders and the Seattle Seahawks.
Theft ring behind NFL home burglaries charged
In other NFL related news, seven members of a South American theft ring have been charged with breaking into the homes of multiple high-profile athletes, including Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Joe Burrow.
Federal prosecutors revealed the arrests on Tuesday, accusing the suspects of stealing valuables worth over $2 million in a spate of coordinated burglaries.
The group allegedly targeted properties while confirming that the athletes would not be home, often based on their sports schedules.
According to the Department of Justice, three of the defendants—Pablo Zuniga Cartes, 24, Ignacio Zuniga Cartes, 20, and Bastian Jimenez Freraut, 27, all from Chile—were photographed posing with a stolen safe containing items valued at nearly $1.5 million.
The belongings, believed to belong to NBA star Bobby Portis Jr., included expensive watches, jewelry, cash, and other personal effects.
Additional suspects in the case were identified as Jordan Quiroga Sanchez, 22, Bastian Orellano Morales, 23, Alexander Huiaguil Chavez, 24, and Sergio Ortega Cabello, 38. Each of the defendants faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Federal charges filed detail a clear and consistent “modus operandi,” involving the use of throwaway phones to evade law enforcement surveillance and entry methods that ranged from breaking windows to prying open doors with crowbars.
The alleged crimes have been linked to elite athletes in various locations. Prosecutors claim that some burglaries were timed to games, such as when a Tampa Bay Buccaneers player was targeted during a match against the Baltimore Ravens, resulting in the loss of $167,000 worth of high-end goods.
Other break-ins reportedly occurred during the October 2024 burglaries of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, as well as the December 2024 robbery of Joe Burrow’s home in Ohio.
The FBI continues to investigate the cases, stating that the theft gang meticulously planned their heists.
One FBI agent added, “Also of note is that P. Zuniga Cartes is wearing a Kansas City Chiefs shirt in the photo,” suggesting a direct connection to the burglary involving Mahomes and Kelce.
At least one burglary complaint has been filed in Hillsborough County, Florida, further tying the group to instances of high-value thefts nationwide.
