We’ve all seen television shows and movies that portray athletes as “dumb jocks.” The guy who shoves nerds into lockers, strictly dates cheerleaders and hates stuff like books or learning.

While that stereotype is not the rule, it may have been strengthened last year when, out of frustration, Kobe Bryant referred to a referee as a “fucking faggot” after what he thought was a bad call.

But, Brandon Ayanbadejo of the Baltimore Ravens and Chris Kluwe of the Minnesota Vikings have bucked that stereotype — and then some.

It started when Ayanbadejo said he supports a state ballot initiative that would legalize gay marriage. That prompted Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns to send a letter to the Ravens owner asking him to “inhibit such expressions from (his) employee.”

In response to that, Kluwe sent Burns a letter with some very colorful language condemning his proposed abridgement of free speech, and “close-minded” attitude toward marriage equality.

Kluwe called the delegate’s view on the issue “obscenely hypocritical” and compared the right for gay marriage to the battle for desegregation in professional sports. Kluwe said people standing up and bravely speaking their minds is necessary discourse.

While Kluwe’s word choice could have been a little more polite, it’s nice to see a “jock” stand up for equality and base his opinion on legal precedence.