Fellow NFL footballer defends equality-supporting Ravens player from delegate attack
A Maryland delegate caused a storm of controversy this week when he wrote a letter to the owner of a football team urging him to reprimand one of his players who recorded a pro-marriage equality video. A fellow player has now spoken out in a passionate letter, condemning the request as a violation of the first amendment of the US constitution.
Chris Kluwe, a player for the Minnesota Vikings, penned a letter to Delegate Emmett C Burns Jr, who wrote to the Baltimore Ravens’ owner, Steven Disciotti, asking him to stop Brendon Ayanbadejo from speaking out in favour of marriage equality, after he recorded a video for Marylanders for Marriage Equality in October 2011.
Mr Ayanbadejo had defended his position on the matter, and said he was surprised that he got such a response from a politician, and the Ravens’ General Manager Dick Cass also spoke out defending his position, but Mr Kluwe took his complaint one step further:
“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.
“As I suspect you have not read the Constitution, I would like to remind you that the very first, the VERY FIRST Amendment in this founding document deals with the freedom of speech, particularly the abridgment of said freedom. By using your position as an elected official (when referring to your constituents so as to implicitly threaten the Ravens organization) to state that the Ravens should “inhibit such expressions from your employees,” more specifically Brendon Ayanbadejo, not only are you clearly violating the First Amendment, you also come across as a narcissistic fromunda stain.
“Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different than you, or act different than you? How does gay marriage, in any way shape or form, affect your life? If gay marriage becomes legal, are you worried that all of a sudden you’ll start thinking about penis?
“I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won’t come into your house and steal your children. They won’t magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster.
Mr Kluwe ended the letter saying he hoped it would cause delegate Burns to reflect on his position, and ended with:
“P.S. I’ve also been vocal as hell about the issue of gay marriage so you can take your “I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing” and shove it in your close-minded, totally lacking in empathy piehole and choke on it.”
The full letter is available to view here. Mr Kluwe also interviewed on KARE 11, said it was a personal issue and explained why he wrote it:
“I see it as a civil rights, and a freedom of speech issue, People should be free to support causes like gay marriage and equality.
“It’s really discouraging to see a state representative to come forward and say ‘no you should be silent because you’re a footballer.'”
He said that he stands up for freedom of speech as well as equal marriage, and that people should look past the swearing in his letter to see the meaning behind it.
