Ravens National Anthem Singer Announces Resignation: 'I Do Not Belong There'
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Ravens National Anthem singer Joey Odoms has announced his resignation on social media.
This comes as the Ravens and many other NFL teams decided to protest the anthem during Sunday's games.
"The tone/actions of a large number of NFL fans in the midst of our country's cultural crisis, have convinced me that I do not belong there," writes Odoms, who is a former member of the Maryland Army National Guard and a Baltimore native.
President Donald Trump made comments over the weekend at a rally in Alabama, calling NFL players who kneel "sons of b******" and said those who don't stand for the national anthem should be fired.
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"Thank you so much for the opportunity to grow as a performer and for allowing me to live out a dream of sharing my gift with you," said Odoms.
Speaking with WJZ's Vic Carter, Odoms says as a member of the military, he is not offended by the players' actions but did not want to get mixed up in the controversial discussion.
"I support the protest personally -- I fought for that right, but I don't like people using people like me to attack those people who are exercising their right."
He went on to say "If I express how I feel, a segment of the fanbase would attack me."
Odoms joined the Ravens in 2014. And said it was a lifelong dream -- he even asked coach John Harbaugh if he would audition for the job when Harbaugh visited Odoms' military base in Afghanistan.
Odoms says to Vic he called the Ravens and they understood his position and wish him well. They also told him to keep in touch.
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