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| Maryland Delegate Emmett C. Burns, Jr., whom Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe called "mind-bogglingly stupid." |
On August 29th, Maryland House of Delegates member Emmett C. Burns Jr., a Democrat from Baltimore County, sent a letter to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti urging him to silence his outspoken player, Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo for being a vocal proponent of same-sex marriage:
“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,” Burns wrote.Several NFL players have supported Ayanbadejo, including Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley and Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, who wrote a no-holds-barred letter to Burns.
The Baltimore Sun reports that members of the Ravens organization have expressed their support for Ayanbadejo, including team president Dick Cass, who stopped him in the hall at the Ravens' practice facility Friday afternoon to let him know the team supports his right to free speech.
In a different interview with The Baltimore Sun, NFL Players Association president Domonique Foxworth said Friday of Burns' request: “I don’t know if I can come up with a strong enough word, but his request was asinine,” Foxworth said.
I guess the really surprising thing was that once I heard about it, I looked up who Emmitt Burns was,” Foxworth said. “Just to see a 70-something-year-old man who grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, who shares a first name with Emmitt Till, who was essentially a martyr for freedom of speech and freedom of expression… For someone who has had that unique life experience to encourage silencing an individual, you would assume it would go against what everyone someone like that would believe. I can’t imagine that a black person growing up in Mississippi would have ever been in favor of quieting someone’s free speech. It’s odd.
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