Baltimore Ravens National Anthem Singer Resigns

BALTIMORE, MD — The official national anthem singer for the Baltimore Ravens has stepped down from his post. Sgt. Joey Odoms said that he chose to resign from singing the "Star Spangled Banner" for the Ravens, stating his reasons 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," Odoms, a member of the Maryland National Guard, posted on Facebook Tuesday night.

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Odoms had been the anthem singer since 2014.

He met Ravens head coach John Harbaugh while serving overseas in Afghanistan and asked how he could become the next anthem singer for the team.

Odoms is only the second person designated for the job; his predecessor, Mishael Miller, was the choir director at his church in Reservoir Hill when Odoms was growing up, according to the BaltimoreRavens.com. Miller left his position as the national anthem singer with the Ravens to become a preacher in Alabama.

Odoms posted on Facebook that the Ravens "have been nothing but nice to me," stating it was the "tone/actions of a large number of NFL fans in the midst of our country's cultural crisis [that] have convinced me that I do not belong there."

The Baltimore singer's resignation came days after President Donald Trump chastised the NFL for what he said was a lack of respect for the American flag. Trump said on Friday that team owners should fire players who disrespect the flag, and on Sunday more than 100 players knelt during the national anthem.

Thirteen Ravens took a knee, while others including Harbaugh and quarterback Joe Flacco, stood and locked arms.

During Sunday's games, three teams remained inside the locker room during the national anthem.

Still of Joey Odoms from YouTube.