NFL Players Association president Domonique Foxworth has written a column for USA Today in which he argues the Supreme Court should strike down bans on same-sex marriage. In the column he talks about toughness being about standing up for those who are ostracized. The role of athletes in making social change isn’t lost on him:
Athletes have long been among the most prominent agents for social change. We are proud of our role on the front lines of civil rights. We have stood up for issues that are bigger than the game we play, and though the topics debated may change over the years, the principle is the same: We fundamentally believe that all people deserve equal rights.
That is why, as president of the NFL Players Association, I’m standing with the majority of Americans who support the freedom to marry.
Some on the USA Today site are questioning whether his claim about the majority of Americans is true. The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll says 58% of Americans now support same-sex marriage. That's a far cry from the 95% of athletes who oppose same-sex marriage that one USA Today reader claimed.
Foxworth has, in the last month, become a strong voice against homophobia in sports, an now off the field as well. He also joins a growing number of pro athletes, and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith, who vocally support same-sex marriage through the Athletes Brief.
This stuff was unthinkable just a year ago. Crazy.
