Minnesota Viking punter Chris Kluwe has come to the aid of Brendon Ayanbadejo, who has come under attack for his support of gay marriage.

In October, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ayanbadejo became the first professional athlete to endorse the Marylanders for Marriage Equality campaign, which successfully lobbied for passage of a bill legalizing gay nuptials in the state. Opponents of the law gathered sufficient signatures to put the measure up to a popular vote in November.

Maryland Delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr, a vocal opponent of gay rights, penned a letter to Ravens owner Steven Disciotti in which he claimed that Ayanbadejo's opinions were dividing the team's fan base.

“I find it inconceivable that one of your players, Mr. Brendon Ayanbadejo would publicly endorse same-sex marriage, specifically as a Raven Football player. Many of my constituents and your football supporters are appalled and aghast that a member of the Ravens Football Team would step into this controversial divide and try to sway public opinion one way or the other,” Burns wrote on official Maryland House stationary.

“Many of your fans are opposed to such a view and feel it has no place in a sport that is strictly for pride, entertainment and excitement. I believe Mr. Ayanbadejo should concentrate on football and steer clear of dividing the fan base.”

“I am requesting that you take the necessary action, as a National Football League Owner, to inhibit such expressions from your employees and that he be ordered to cease and desist such injurious actions. I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing.”

On Friday, Kluwe, who previously recorded a video opposing a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution which would define marriage as heterosexual union, wrote a scathing and lengthy reply to Burns.

“I find it inconceivable that you are an elected official of Maryland's state government. Your vitriolic hatred and bigotry make me ashamed and disgusted to think that you are in any way responsible for shaping policy at any level.”

“It baffles me that a man such as yourself, a man who relies on that same First Amendment to pursue your own religious studies without fear of persecution from the state, could somehow justify stifling another person's right to speech. To call that hypocritical would be to do a disservice to the word. Mindfucking obscenely hypocritical starts to approach it a little bit.”

“Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different than you, or act different than you? How does gay marriage, in any way shape or form, affect your life? If gay marriage becomes legal, are you worried that all of a sudden you'll start thinking about penis? 'Oh shit. Gay marriage just passed. Gotta get me some of that hot dong action!'”

“Do the civil-rights struggles of the past 200 years mean absolutely nothing to you?”

In a postscript, Kluwe added: “I've also been vocal as hell about the issue of gay marriage. So you can take your 'I know of no other NFL player who has done what Mr. Ayanbadejo is doing' and shove it in your close-minded, totally lacking in empathy piehole and choke on it. Asshole.”

(Related: Chris Kluwe calls Minnesota's gay marriage ban anti-American.)