Superbowl champ Brendon Ayanbadejo is making the most of the national spotlight this week: not only has he released a new video about the freedom to marry, but he’s also just authored a USA Today opinion piece about homophobia in sports. An excerpt:

The NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA should and can be leaders against discrimination. Whether you’re a commissioner, an athlete, a coach or a fan, your voice will let every kid out there know that there is a place for him or her in sports. We all can be ourselves and still compete with dignity and at the highest level.

Brendon’s an ambassador for Athlete Ally, a nonprofit committed to ending anti-LGBT prejudice in sports. And his values echo those of us working for marriage equality: letting every kid out there know that there’s a place for them, whether it’s on a sports team or with the person they love.

“I was raised to believe that, in America, our differences don’t matter and discrimination is wrong,” Brendon writes.

As with discrimination in sports, we know that discrimination in marriage cannot last. Whether striving for a more open NFL, or taking AFER’s case to the highest court in the land, we’re dismantling old outdated prejudices piece by piece.