Former Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo Doesn’t Think His Activism Player Part In his Release

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo (51)during the blackout against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Brendon Ayanbadejo has been one of the most outspoken gay rights activists in all of professional sports let alone the NFL. After winning a Super Bowl he was released dyring the offseason.

Obviously as professional sports hasn’t been accepting of the gay community as no players have been public with their orientation, this led many to believe that Ayanbadejo’s activism could have played a role in his dismissal from the Ravens.

But Ayanbadejo isn’t one of those people.

“No, not at all,” Ayanbadejo told 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, via Sports Radio Interviews. “I just was saying, basically, when there’s an issue that’s bigger than the NFL — and the issue of equal rights and human rights is far more important than the sport, and it always will be — when it’s issues like that that are touched upon, teams don’t want to touch issues like that, meaning the league as a whole. And they’ve yet to even address equal rights as far as the NFL’s been around.”

He also thinks that while it seems the NHL has been the most publicly supported equal rights, but despite the belief that the NFL hasn’t done anything Ayanbadejo disagrees.

“NHL just did it now and the other sports have done it here and there, but I think the NFL’s made the biggest splash, but as a whole in sports culture, we haven’t made a splash on this issue of equal rights.”

But while many think the locker room would be the biggest hurdle for a player coming out, Ayanbadejo points out the other hurdles.

“I think it would be easier in the locker room than it would be when you’re in an opposing stadium or when you’re out in public. You’ve got 60 guys in a locker room, pretty close-knit group — there definitely would be some bumps in the road, some things to talk about.”

It’s up to the public to be accepting, or maybe the gay community to be more involved in sports to make sure it’s a smooth transition. Either way it will happen one day according to Ayanbadejo.

“I think it’s gonna happen eventually, but I don’t think it’s gonna be as bad as people think. And the sooner we get through those walls, the easier it’s gonna be to transition out of it.”