First, there was Bryant McKinnie tweeting he had been cut, when he actually wasn’t. Then there was the death of the Baltimore Ravens’ patriarch Art Modell.
Now comments made by Ravens’ special teamer Brendon Ayanbadejo, and the subsequent responses to his comments, have created quite a stir.
Ayanbadejo spoke out in favor of a Maryland ballot initiative that would legalize gay marriage. Enter Emmett C. Burns Jr., a Maryland politician and minister. Burns is opposed to same-sex marriage and went as far as to write a letter to Ravens’ owner Steve Bisciotti asking him to “inhibit such expressions from your employee and that he be ordered to cease and desist such injurious actions.”
Burns also stated in the letter that “Many of my constituents and your football supporters are appalled and aghast that a member of the Ravens Football Team would step into this controversial divide and try to sway public opinion one way or the other.” The rest of the letter went on to say that Ayanbadejo’s comments were divisive and that he would basically alienate a large percentage of Ravens’ fans who were also opposed to same-sex marriage.
Neither Bisciotti nor anyone else from the Ravens brass have yet to respond to Burns’ comments, but Ayanbadejo himself responded via twitter. Ayanbadejo tweeted “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 story takes a very weird, obscene and random turn as Minnesota Vikings’ punter Chris Kluwe came out of nowhere to defend both Ayanbadejo’s stance on the issue, and his freedom of speech. Not only did Kluwe defend Ayanbadejo, but he threw some absolute haymakers at Burns, as Kluwe himself sent a rebuttal letter to Burns.
Using extremely colorful language that would make George Carlin blush, Kluwe attacked Burns on just about every level. His tone throughout the letter is extremely belittling and condescending, yet hammers home his major points and makes Burns appear like an uneducated, hypocritical bigot.
Kluwe starts off his letter guns blazing…”I find it inconceivable that you are an elected official of Maryland’s state government. Your vitriolic hatred and bigotry make me ashamed and disgusted to think that you are in any way responsible for shaping policy at any level.”
Kluwe goes on to rip Burns about his attempt to silence Ayanbadejo, which is against the First Amendment in the Constitution. He then touches upon how fighting segregation is a positive thing that has paved the way for all people to enjoy a certain standard of life. He used Kenny Washington and Jackie Robinson as examples of how fighting segregation has made its way into sports in a positive way. Seeing that Burns is African-American, Kluwe makes a strong argument about civil-rights struggles and how this is just another case of a group of people being marginalized when they should be “full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that entails.”
Again, Kluwe uses insanely strong language, but if you are not offended easily, it is something worth reading, both for substance and entertainment.
The original comments made by Ayanbadejo are part of a larger issue in sports. Most prominent people, especially athletes, are usually silent on controversial issues because they are afraid to offend a segment of the population. By rubbing people the wrong way and taking a stance, athletes can alienate themselves from fans and front office personnel, as well as ruin potential endorsement deals. Despite which side of the fence you fall on in this issue, you have to respect Ayanbadejo for taking a stance and sticking to it.
For the Ravens, this media firestorm is hopefully the last distraction before Monday night’s opener finally kicks off. But for now, it’s just another day in a wacky week for the Blackbirds.
