AFC North

With just 4 days left before the election, supporters of Question 6 released an ad stating it's time to legalize gay marriage. With just 4 days left before the election, supporters of Question 6 on Friday released what appears to be their final pitch to voters. Passage of the measure would uphold a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers. In the 30-second ad, a male announcer reminds viewers of the campaign?s high-profile endorsements, which include Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. ?Maryland, it's time. Time for marriage equality,? the announcer says. ?While there are those trying to divide us, presidents Obama and Clinton stand with us. Pastors, business leaders, newspapers, Democrats and Republicans are all coming together for Question 6. Because it's about fairness, treating everyone equally under the law. And who could be against that?? (The video is embedded on this page. Visit our video library for more videos.) Others include in the video who support passage of Question

The Pittsburgh Steelers have changed their travel plans for Sunday's National Football League road game at the New York Giants in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Sandy.

Matt Ryan connected on three first-half touchdown passes to lead Atlanta to a 30-17 victory over Philadelphia that saw the Falcons remain the NFL's only unbeaten team.

Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk appears in an ad in which he claims gay marriage would strip rights from Christians. In an ad for the group opposing Maryland's Question 6, Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk claims that allowing the gay marriage law to take effect would strip rights from Christians. In the 1-minute spot, Birk says the law's religious exemptions are too weak because they do not cover individuals and businesses or religious groups which accept government funding. ?If the referendum is not voted down, our religious freedoms are at risk,? Birk says. ?Churches, hospitals, religious charities, private businesses and individuals all will be subject to lawsuits and harassments for openly expressing their religious beliefs.? ?Under the new law, churches, religious organizations and charities that help the government care for those in need would not be exempt and would lose their First Amendment rights. And there are no provisions protecting businesses and individuals.? ?Marylan

An appeals hearing scheduled for Tuesday in the NFL bounty scheme scandal has been postponed by former league commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the NFL announced on Saturday.

The New England Patriots squandered a double-digit lead but beat the New York Jets in overtime to seize the lead in the NFL's AFC East division.

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe on Friday debated the statements of gay marriage foes. Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe on Friday debated the statements of gay marriage foes. Kluwe has become an outspoken supporter of marriage equality and an ardent opponent of a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution defining marriage as a heterosexual union. His advocacy drew the ire of Minnesota State Rep. Mary Franson, a Republican who labeled the player an opponent of traditional values. In response, Kluwe offered a debate on the issue. Neither Franson nor any other opponent accepted the invite, leaving Kluwe with an empty chair. For his debate at the Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis, Kluwe went up against actors who stood in for his opponents. ?Gay and lesbian couples already receive benefits in Maryland, like hospital visitation, state health benefits, and tax breaks,? Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk is seen saying in a video opposing Maryland's gay marriage law. ?We don't

Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue will hear the latest appeals from four players suspended in the New Orleans Saints bounty case, who are seeking to overturn bans imposed by current commissioner Roger Goodell.

Maryland voters appear increasingly likely to uphold a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers. With less than 3 weeks before Election Day, Maryland voters appear increasingly likely to uphold a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers. According to a poll released Thursday by The Washington Post, a narrow majority (52%) of voters say they favor the law. Forty-three percent of respondents say they will vote against the legislation. The measure's 9-point lead comes after opponents began airing ads calling on Marylanders to vote down Question 6, including one featuring Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk. A key demographic in the state is the African-American vote, which both camps have heavily targeted. The Post poll found 56 percent of white voters support marriage equality, while 39 percent remain opposed. But opposition among black voters holds an 11-point lead: 42 percent of black voters support the measure, and 53 percent oppose it. That's a stark difference to a Baltimore Sun poll rele

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has posed for the NOH8 Campaign. Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has posed for the NOH8 Campaign, which raises awareness and funds for gay rights causes, including ending California's 2008 voter-approved gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. Kluwe posed for the campaign during a Minneapolis photo shoot last month which took place a week after he came to the aid of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, whose gay marriage advocacy had come under attack from Maryland Delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. The lawmaker has since reversed course, saying the player has a right to speak his mind. The campaign's Adam Bouska and his partner Jeff Parshley photograph celebrities, politicians, professional athletes and everyday folks with their mouths duct taped and the campaign's familiar ?NOH8? slogan often written on one cheek. In his photo released this week, Kluwe is wearing a white t-shirt, a pair of Viking horns and his mouth is duct taped. Kluwe first p

NFL owners approved the sale of the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday and new majority owner Jimmy Haslam immediately said Mike Holmgren would be replaced as team president.

The Baltimore Ravens, off to a 5-1 start in the National Football League campaign, have lost veteran linebacker Ray Lewis and defensive back Ladarius Webb for the season, coach John Harbaugh said.

Matt Bryant's 55-yard field goal with one second to play lifted the Atlanta Falcons to a 23-20 victory over Oakland and their first 6-0 National Football League start in team history.

A majority of professional athletes say they support giving gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, a new poll found. A majority of professional athletes say they support giving gay and lesbian couples the right to marry, a new poll found. The poll appears in this month's issue of ESPN The Magazine. Surveyed were 62 professional athletes representing all four major sport leagues. The athletes were given anonymity in ?exchange for truthiness.? ?Most baseball and basketball players voted no,? the authors wrote in reporting their results. ?But landslides among NFL and NHL players tipped the tally for Adam and Steve. 'Gay marriage should be legal,' says a recent Stanley Cup champ who supports Romney. 'Everybody should have the chance to be miserable.'? A majority of NBA (53.8%) and MLB (55%) athletes said gay nuptials should be illegal, while a majority of NFL (61.5%) and NHL (92.3%) players believe gay and lesbian couples deserve marriage equality. The issue has been particularly cont

Four players who were suspended by the National Football League in the New Orleans Saints payoff-for-injury bounty scheme have appealed their bans, the league confirmed on its website Friday.

National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell reissued suspensions against four players involved in the New Orleans Saints payoff-for-injuries bounty scheme on Tuesday.

Brendon Ayanbadejo and Martin O'Malley are hosting a fundraiser to benefit the campaign to approve Question 6. Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley are hosting a football watching party to benefit the campaign to approve Question 6, which would uphold a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers. The fundraiser will take place Monday evening at sports bar Mother's Federal Hill Grille in Baltimore. ?Look forward to joining @brendon310 & marriage equality supporters tonight to watch MNF (& the O's of course) #Votefor6,? O'Malley tweeted on Monday to his more than 26,000 followers. Ayanbadejo is a strong supporter of marriage equality. Last October he became the first professional athlete to endorse the Marylanders for Marriage Equality campaign, which successfully lobbied for passage of the marriage law. His support attracted national attention last month when Maryland Delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. asked the Ravens to sanction Ayanbadejo for his

Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk believes Maryland gay couples already receive benefits similar to marriage. ?Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk believes Maryland gay couples already receive benefits similar to marriage. The 36-year-old Birk made his comments in a video for the Maryland Marriage Alliance, the primary group working to defeat at the polls this November a gay marriage law approved by lawmakers. In the 30-second ad, Birk says marriage is the foundation of society and children. ?Marriage is more than what adults want for themselves. It is also about the next generation. Marriage is and should remain between a man and a woman,? Birk says. ?Gay and lesbian couples already receive benefits in Maryland, like hospital visitation, state health benefits, and tax breaks. We don't need to redefine marriage,? he adds. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit our video library for more videos.) Birk also recorded a video for the Minnesota Catholic Conference in support of Minnesota

Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk stars in a new video supporting Minnesota's proposed gay marriage ban. Baltimore Ravens center Matt Birk stars in a new video supporting Minnesota's proposed gay marriage ban. In the video for the Minnesota Catholic Conference, Birk suggests he supports the ban because marriage equality would hurt children. ?They say if we stand up and talk about the national definition of marriage that we are somehow being mean ? or bullies,? Birk, 36, says in the 3-minute-30-second video. ?Supporting the basic rights of children and the authentic rights of people with same-sex attraction are not mutually exclusive and we must resist the forces that are telling us otherwise.? ?If we allow genderless marriage to be made law, the implication is that the contributions of part of our community ? either men or women ? are somehow insignificant and less valuable,? he adds. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit our video library for more videos.) Birk, a St. Paul native

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe explains his gay rights advocacy in an interview with gay glossy 'Out'. Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe explains his gay rights advocacy in an interview with gay glossy Out. The 30-year-old Kluwe has become an outspoken supporter of marriage equality and an ardent opponent of a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution defining marriage as a heterosexual union. Kluwe, who is raising two children with his wife Isabel, has recorded several ads for Minnesotans for Equality, a group working to defeat the marriage ban. In one, he describes the measure as anti-American and anti-freedom. He also came to the aid of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, whose gay marriage advocacy had come under attack from Maryland Delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. In an interview with gay glossy Out, Kluwe explained what motivates him to speak out on gay rights, and, as athletes are want to do, he posed for photos shirtless. ?It's all about the Golden Rule