Several former Baltimore Ravens missed the Super Bowl champions trip to the White House to meet with President Obama.
Some like Anquan Boldin, Bernard Pollard, and Cary Williams were busy with their new teams. One retired player missed the ceremony for political reasons.
Matt Birk played center in the NFL for 15 years and is a Harvard graduate. Birk pays attention to the things going on around him, and according to KFAN, Birk boycotted the White House visit over President Obama’s position on Abortion.
“I wasn’t there,” Birk told The Power Trip. “I would say this, I would say that I have great respect for the office of the Presidency but about five or six weeks ago, our president made a comment in a speech and he said, ‘God bless Planned Parenthood.'”
Birk stance was that he is a practicing Catholic, and took offense to the President’s comments about Planned Parenthood.
“Planned Parenthood performs about 330,000 abortions a year,” Birk explained. “I am Catholic, I am active in the Pro-Life movement and I just felt like I couldn’t deal with that. I couldn’t endorse that in any way.”
“I’m very confused by [the President’s] statement,” Birk questioned. “For God to bless a place where they’re ending 330,000 lives a year? I just chose not to attend.”
Birk missed a once in a lifetime opportunity, but as an American, that is his choice and his right.
