Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo has posed
nude for the NOH8 Campaign.
“A real man supports equality,” Ayanbadejo messaged to
followers on Twitter.
Last year, the 36-year-old Ayanbadejo, who is currently an NFL
free agent, vocally supported passage of a gay marriage bill in
Maryland and opposed an unsuccessful referendum to repeal the law.
He is currently lending his celebrity to an effort to increase
LGBT rights in Florida.
(Related: Brendon
Ayanbadejo to advocate for gay rights in Florida.)
In
the photo to support the NOH8 Campaign, which raises awareness
and funds for gay rights causes, Ayanbadejo appears nude holding a
strategically-placed football with the NOH8 Campaign's logo. He has
his mouth duct taped and “NOH8” written on his chest and one
cheek.
In 2010, Hayley
Hasselhoff created a stir when she posed topless in suport of the
campaign.
Other professional athletes who have
previously posed for the campaign include former Minnesota Vikings
punter Chris
Kluwe, former Carolina Panthers linebacker Nic
Harris, former NFL defensive lineman Esera
Tavai Tuaolo, New York Jets safety Bret
Lockett, and Houston Dynamo's Mike
Chabala.