OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens national anthem singer Joey Odoms resigned Tuesday at a time when protests during the song have generated strong emotions across the country.
"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," Odoms wrote on Facebook. "Someone once told me to always 'go where you're welcomed.'"
Odoms, who is African-American, is a member of the Maryland National Guard. When he was a soldier in Afghanistan, Odoms met coach John Harbaugh and informed him that he wanted to be the team's next national anthem singer.