Baltimore Ravens Players Fight Over Gay Marriage, Claim It Won’t Hurt Play

The gay marriage debate is heating up in one area of the country we wouldn’t have expected such an argument to erupt: the Baltimore Ravens locker room.

Last week, center Matt Birk sent out a letter that defended “traditional marriage” as the only type of marriage that should be legally recognized. That letter was sent out in response to a pro-gay marriage letter sent by punter Chris Kluwe. The punter had sent his letter to an anti-gay marriage politician in Maryland.

Following that support and attack campaign, gay marriage supporter and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo announced that the issue has been “shelved” so the guys can focus on the NFL season.

According to Ayanbadejo:

“On the field, we’re on the same accord … When we come to work, we’re on the same page.  One goal and that’s to win a championship.”

The linebacker admits that many of his teammates have approached him to discuss the gay marriage issue.

The issue is likely to heat up in the future; while Brendon admits that his family spends time with Matt Birk’s family and kids, he admits that the two men need to have a “deeper discussion” about the issue in the future. Brendon does, however, admit that the gay-marriage issue likely won’t end their friendship. As Brendon tells TMZ:

“Of course I disagree with his stance, but I’m not gonna tell someone how to raise their kids. He wants the world to be a better place for his kids.”

“I think just from where we’re heading, his kids will grow up to have a different opinion from him, I’ll just leave it at that.”

While Brendon Ayanbadejo says the gay marriage issue won’t affect the team’s on-field play, anyone who follows professional sports knows that even the smallest of distractions can cause issues on and off the field.