Tom Pelissero

USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Vikings suspended special teams coordinator Mike Priefer three games and pledged $100,000 to LGBT rights charitable and educational organizations in response to an investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct made by former punter Chris Kluwe.

Priefer's suspension can be reduced to two games if he attends anti-harassment, diversity and sexual-orientation sensitivity training, according to a Vikings statement Friday night that answered the latest round of claims by Kluwe, who has announced he intends to file a lawsuit next week.

"I owe an apology to many people – the Wilf family, the Minnesota Vikings organization and fans, my family, the LGBT community, Chris Kluwe and anyone else that I offended with my insensitive remark," Priefer said in a statement issued by the team.

"I regret what has occurred and what I said. I am extremely sorry but I will learn from this situation and will work on educating others to create more tolerance and respect."

Among other allegations in a Jan. 3 post to Deadspin.com that alleged he was released for his activism on same-sex marriage, Kluwe wrote that Priefer said in a meeting room, "We should round up all the gays, send them to an island, and then nuke it until it glows."

A 29-page memo released Friday night by Littler Mendelson P.C. – an employment law firm the Vikings retained to review findings of a six-month investigation by a different firm – said long snapper Cullen Loeffler confirmed Priefer made that remark after becoming frustrated Kluwe and Loeffler weren't focusing on practice.

However, the memo said there was no evidence to support Kluwe's other claims: that Priefer made additional homophobic statements, that the Vikings released Kluwe for his activism and that the team harbored a homophobic hostile work environment.

"Coach Priefer is a good man, and we know that he deeply regrets the comment. We do not believe that this error in judgment should define him," Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf said in a joint statement. "Accountability, however, is important both on and off the field. In this instance, Coach Priefer fell short of what is expected."

Kluwe's attorney, Clayton Halunen, told USA TODAY Sports his client had requested a $1 million donation from the Vikings and a four-game ban for Priefer, whom Kluwe has alleged made homophobic remarks before the Vikings cut Kluwe in May 2013.

Instead, the plan is for Kluwe to file a lawsuit next week in Minnesota court naming Priefer and the Vikings organizations as defendants and believe they can get a $10 million jury verdict, Halunen said. Kluwe has said he would donate any money gained in the lawsuit to charity.

"They had that opportunity (to settle)," Halunen told USA TODAY Sports. "They didn't take advantage of it. There will be litigation. The first thing we'll request is a copy of the full report and we are going to do our best to make it public."

That report was the product of a roughly six-month inquiry led by former Minnesota Supreme Court justice Eric Magnuson and former U.S. Department of Justice trial attorney Chris Madel, who were retained by the Vikings to complete what the team called an independent review.

In lieu of the full report, the Vikings released the Littler Meldelson P.C. memo, which also included unflattering allegations against Kluwe, who "viewed his performance as a member of the Vikings in an inflated manner. … No interviewed witness agreed that Kluwe had a good year in 2012."

The memo said interviewees shared stories "stories about Kluwe dropping his pants in front of 20-25 business people as they were being escorted through the locker room on a tour" and mocking the Penn State child sex scandal.

Kluwe quickly responded via Twitter, saying "over half the team" made the same jokes in front of then-strength and conditioning Tom Kanavy, a Penn State alumnus, and making a vague accusation about transgressions of other Vikings players.

"Don't worry folks, you'll know when I'm on tilt," Kluwe tweeted. "The Vikings clearly think turning this dirty will scare me off. Says all you need to know."