Ex-NFL player says he was fired after his MAGA protest at HB City Council meeting

Former NFL punter Chris Kluwe said he was fired Thursday from his coaching job at Huntington Beach’s Edison High School after he protested the conservative City Council’s embrace of MAGA language and principles — and got arrested as a result.

What was the protest about?

He staged a one-man protest earlier this month at a City Council meeting where the conservative council was discussing plans to install a plaque at the public library with phrasing that spells out MAGA in bold letters. Kluwe told the council he believes MAGA stands for censorship, racism and is “explicitly a Nazi movement.”

He then approached the dais and got arrested. He told LAist he was charged with a misdemeanor for disturbing an assembly.

Watch Kluwe’s speech and arrest:

The council unanimously approved the plaque.

What’s the backstory?

The Huntington Beach City Council has made a series of controversial moves in recent years regarding the city’s beloved public library system, most notably, establishing a citizen committee with the power to censor children’s books. Kluwe said those moves inspired him to take action.

“A library is supposed to an  apolitical space,” he said. “Anyone should be able to see themselves in a library and this city council is trying to change that.”

Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark, who first proposed the citizen book review committee, has said it will help ensure kids don’t have access to age-inappropriate books, and that the library reflects the local population’s needs.

How did Kluwe get fired?

Kluwe told LAist he was called into a meeting at Edison High School Thursday at noon and told he was bringing too much attention to the school. Administrators offered Kluwe a chance to resign, but he refused.

“I told him that they would need to fire me as I wanted to make it clear I was not leaving of my own choice, and that this is what MAGA does to a community. It’s not focused on what is best for the kids, but on what makes the MAGA people feel better,” he said.

The principal and the school district did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

What happens next?

Kluwe said he’s now considering filing a lawsuit against the district.

“ I'm an American citizen, I have First Amendment rights for as long as those last,” he said.

In the meantime, three Huntington Beach residents filed suit earlier this week alleging the children’s library book rules violate a new state law, the “Freedom to Read Act,” which prohibits public libraries from censoring books.

We’re also awaiting a City Council decision on when to put two citizen-led measures on the ballot — one would overturn the book review board, the other would prohibit privatizing the library. The council can decide to hold a special election or put the measures on the next general election ballot in 2026.