Kluwe settles with Epting in defamation case, pair call for civility in Huntington Beach
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Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe has reached a settlement agreement with fellow Huntington Beach resident Chris Epting, after accusing him of defamation in a lawsuit last summer.
Currently running as a candidate for state Assembly District 72, Kluwe sued the Huntington Beach Union High School District and Epting in July, after he was fired from his job as freshman football coach at Edison High School in February 2025.
Kluwe’s lawsuit alleges his First and 14th Amendment rights were violated when he was fired for what the district claimed was an incendiary social media post. Epting was also named in the suit, after he posted a cropped social media post from Bluesky that, according to the former coach, placed him in a false light and implied that he was violent.
The post quoted a message from Kluwe, who opposed a “MAGA” plaque approved by the council for the Central Library’s 50th anniversary and encouraged angered residents to find where City Council members work and “blow those places up,” a phrase that can mean to engage in action or advocacy for a cause.
An author and former Los Angeles Times columnist, Epting agreed as part of the settlement to issue a public apology to Kluwe, posting the statement online and in certain named social media channels, as well as contribute $7,000 to the Journalism Assn. of Community Colleges, California Scholastic Press Assn. and/or the California Center for Civic Participation.
“I apologize for taking Chris Kluwe’s social media post out of context in a way that created the impression that he had literally promoted violence,” Epting said in a statement.
“I understood that Mr. Kluwe’s post was not about literally threatening to blow up buildings. It was never my belief that he had intended to promote violence, and I regret that my Facebook posts and comments were interpreted otherwise. I also understand that Mr. Kluwe’s defamation claim against me was not frivolous and not filed for an improper purpose.
“I appreciate Mr. Kluwe’s activism,” Epting’s statement continued. “I am a staunch supporter of the First Amendment and everyone’s freedom of speech and expression. I support Mr. Kluwe’s right to have and to express his views, and on the substance of the issue related to the plaque in the library, I agree with Mr. Kluwe that the plaque was inappropriate.”
Despite the agreement, Kluwe’s lawsuit against the Huntington Beach district remains ongoing.
Also as part of the settlement, Kluwe and Epting released a joint statement.
“We both care deeply about freedom of speech and the First Amendment’s bar on government interference with that right,” the statement reads. “We agree that the benefits of free speech depend on the accuracy of facts we use in our discourse and that context matters. The city of Huntington Beach has become known for its divisive politics — a reputation we’d like to see change.
“We encourage community members to remain passionate about civic issues that matter to them while ‘lowering the temperature’ on how we engage with each other. We commit to leading by example, and we hope that others are able to find common ground as we have, even if we do not agree on everything.”
