Over the weekend, it was reported that several professional teams — including the New York Giants, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Rays — signed an amicus brief with 376 other companies urging the Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage across the country.

And those on the right, who still oppose gay marriage, did not like this: particularly, former New England Patriots running back Craig James. James has gotten involved in politics in his post-NFL career and currently works for the Family Research Council, the infamous lobbying group known for their opposition to same-sex marriage. Before joining them, James was fired from Fox Sports for his anti-gay views and failed to successfully run for the U.S. Senate on an extremely conservative platform.

Obviously, Craig James did not like his former team signing the amicus brief. And he shared his thoughts with Tony Perkins on the hosts “Washington Watch” radio program.

James: A locker room is a cohesive deal. A locker room is a place where everybody has different belief systems but you just get along. In my opinion, I look forward to seeing now, if management tells you and the coaching staff tells you that you better not say anything about the other side, you talk about implosion in the locker room. I know the believers I was with, my teammates — and there were a lot of believers in that locker room — we wouldn’t have been quiet for a moment, we would have spoken up.

Perkins: Do you think there are going to be more players that say, “Hey wait a minute, that’s fine if they want to do that and live that lifestyle, but for me, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I have an obligation to speak out, in a loving way, but to speak the truth nonetheless?”

James: I have to say that … the thought of me filing something in the Supreme Court on behalf of players, I had pause. I’ll run through a wall with you guys [but] …  if I were a current player in that locker room and my livelihood depended on me being quiet or losing it because of my belief system, I worry, I wonder. So, that’s Satan working on us.

It is a fight that is far from over, yet the struggle for equality has taken some incredible leaps forward over the last few years. Hopefully soon, there will be no repercussions for a player coming out while playing in the NFL.

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Anthony Falco

Article by Anthony Falco

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