Adrian Peterson On Gay Marriage: 'That's Not Something I Believe In'

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson told Sirius/XM NFL Radio in an interview last week that gay marriage is "not something I believe in."

The topic came up when hosts Bruce Murray and Amani Toomer asked the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player about the possibility that Minnesota cut punter Chris Kluwe due to his public advocacy of marriage equality.

“To each his own. I’m not with it," Peterson said of gay marriage, via NESN.com. "But you know I have relatives that are gay. I’m not biased towards them. I still treat them the same. I love'em. But again, I’m not with that. That’s not something I believe in. But, to each his own. I'm sure the Vikings organization did not release him based on that. They know Kluwe. They've known him for a long time. They know he's outspoken."

The Vikings released Kluwe earlier in May. Shortly before the move, Minneapolis Star-Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins wrote that "the Vikings are jettisoning Kluwe partly because they grew tired of his outspokenness."

Addressing speculation that his advocacy could lead to his being cut, Kluwe told ProFootballTalk in a text message that "It’s a shame that in a league with players given multiple second chances after arrests, including felony arrests, that speaking out on human rights has a chance of getting you cut."

In a statement, the Vikings thanked Kluwe for his play and wished him the best of luck going forward. He would soon sign a deal with the Oakland Raiders.

"Chris has meant a great deal to the Vikings both on and off the field in his eight seasons here," said Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman. "He contributed to many victories and we wish Chris and his family the best and thank him for his contributions to the Vikings organization. Out of respect to Chris, we decided to release him now and allow time for him to sign with another team."