Openly gay and outspoken same-sex marriage advocate Thomas Roberts today devoted a segment of his MSNBC program to a pre-recorded interview with Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, who is publicly supportive of a new Maryland law legalizing same-sex marriage. Yet nowhere in that interview did Roberts mention that it was a Democratic state delegate who tried to silence Ayanbadejo.
As I noted on September 10, the broadcast networks were silent about State Del. Emmett C. Burns's August 29 letter to Baltimore Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti in which Burns called on Bisciotti to "inhibit such [political] expressions" from his players. While Roberts did note that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell spoke out recently in favor of NFL players speaking their minds on political issues, the MSNBC anchor failed to mention that that was in response to a question at a press conference regarding Del. Burns's statement.
Roberts did refer to Burns in a question in the interview, but the average viewer would have had no clue to whom Roberts was referring, much less that he was a Democratic state politician:
In November people will go to the ballots to see this put forth making Maryland the 8th state in the country to legalize same-sex unions. How do you think people in Maryland and around the country have reacted to hearing the kickback that you got from Burns for your support for marriage equality.
Overall, the interview was a game of softball, with Roberts asking Ayanbadejo questions such as, "Do you think that the times are ripe for that to change? Is it safe for a pro sports player in football or baseball to come out?"
