In September, we told you about Baltimore Ravens’ All-Pro linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo and his unwavering support for marriage equality.
Ayanbadejo has been an outspoken ally since 2011, but last fall Maryland House of Delegates member Emmett C. Burns Jr. sent a letter to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, asking for the team to curb Ayanbadejo’s support of the issue. Instead of caving, Ayanbadejo took to Twitter to make a stand, tweeting, “Football is just my job it’s not who I am. I am an American before anything. And just like every American I have the right to speak!!!” The president of the organization, Dick Cass, has also stepped up, standing behind his player with a letter of response and saying, “We support Brendon’s right to freedom of speech under the First Amendment.”
Thursday, April 4, Ayanbadejo was cut from the Ravens’ roster. Later that evening he did an interview with Newsday at the Straight for Equality gala in New York, where he said, “My bark is louder than my bite. I make a lot of noise and garner a lot of attention for various things off the football field. When that starts happening, why do you have that player around?”
When asked for a comment to Ayanbadejo’s criticism, the team’s spokesman Kevin Byrne told Newsday, “We are suprised that Brendon would indicate that. We have always respected Brendon’s opinions and his right to express them. He was released for football reasons, period.
The linebacker took to Facebook to straighten it out, writing, “Just a heads up I did an interview today and no way said I was cut because my views. I said my talk was louder than my production and at 36 when you are not producing it is a fair move. You can find cheaper guys to do what I do. Ravens are the best organization in the nfl period!”
Follow @equallywed on Twitter for the latest marriage equality headlines.
H/T: The Advocate
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