TagliabueThe campaign to make sure that same-sex marriage stays legal in Maryland got another boost this week from the ranks of professional football when former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and his wife pledged $100,000 to support a ballot referendum to uphold the new law.
Tagliabue, who ran the NFL between 1989 and 2006, made the donation to Marylanders for Marriage Equality at a fundraiser Tuesday night at the Logan Circle home of Steve Elmendorf, a gay Democratic lobbyist, the Washington Blade reported. Also in attendance were D.C. Mayor Vince Gray and Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley.
The Tagliabues, whose son is gay, are former Maryland residents who now reside in the District, where Paul Tagliabue is of counsel with the law firm of Covington & Berlin.) The family has been campaigned for marriage equality in several states, Tagliabue said at the fundraiser:
“We had the privilege of raising our family in Maryland. We have the privilege of now living in the District of Columbia. We’ve lived in New York where they passed marriage equality. We spend time in the summer in Maine, where they are fighting it again. I think this is the time to view this not as an expense, but as a capital investment in our nation’s infrastructure.”
The former football commissioner’s donation comes just a few weeks after Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo came under fire by a Maryland legislator who bashed the player’s support for marriage equality. Ayanbadejo has also been active with Marylanders for Marriage Equality, appearing in the group’s ads and auctioning off Ravens tickets to raise money for its campaign.
