Joey Odoms: Army vet quits as Baltimore Ravens’ National Anthem singer
Baltimore native and combat veteran Joey Odoms was chosen by Baltimore Ravens’ Head Coach John Harbaugh to be the team’s Official National Anthem Singer in 2013 when Harbaugh visited Odoms’ military base in Afghanistan, according to MSN. He’s been singing the National Anthem before the Ravens’ games since 2014. Odoms is now the latest casualty in the devisive #TakeAKnee controversy.
On the evening of September 26, Odoms resigned his National Anthem singing post stating on his Facebook page, “Fans who attack players for protesting, (a right in which I fought to defend) but are simply not interested in understanding why, is the reason I am resigning.”
The #TakeAKnee protests actually began during the 2016 NFL season with NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick taking a knee during the singing of The National Anthem as his singular protest against police brutality. The Independent quoted the now free agent as saying, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people, and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street, and people getting paid leave, and getting away with murder.”
Odoms’ resignation came only a few days after the Ravens played the Jacksonville Jaguars in London’s Wembley Stadium. During the singing of the National Anthem for that game, members from both teams either took a knee or stood with their arms locked in unison. Other NFL teams playing this past weekend exhibited similar behavior, which served as a launching point for President Donald Trump’s tweet, “Sports fans should never condone players that do not stand proud for their National Anthem or their Country. NFL should change policy!” The weekend NFL protests are attributed to an earlier Trump tweet where the president urged NFL owners to fire any players who took a knee.
Some fans in the stands booed the players during the singing of the National Anthem this weekend. Odom’s resignation post to social media reads:
Dear Ravens Flock,
I am resigning as Official National Anthem Singer of the Baltimore Ravens. The people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting at the Ravens organization have been nothing but nice to me, however 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. Someone once told me to always “go where you’re welcomed”. This is not an emotional reaction to recent events, rather an ethical decision that part of me regrets but my core knows is the right choice.
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.
-Joey Odoms
Odoms served in the U.S. Army and is currently a member of the Maryland Army National Guard. The Baltimore Sun quoted Ravens’ senior vice president of public and community relations Kevin Byrne as saying, “We greatly appreciate the work Joey did for us and we thank him.” You can hear Joey’s rendition of the National Anthem in the video below.
https://youtu.be/NvL053oywbw
(Cover image credit: Joey Odoms / Facebook)
Written by: Ace News Today Staff
