Just days after former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan appeared in a video supporting marriage equality in New York, Super Bowl XLII hero David Tyree argued why he opposes same-sex marriage.
In a video for the National Organization for Marriage, Tyree, the former Giants wide receiver and special teams standout, said same-sex marriage could lead to "anarchy."
"What I know will happen if this does come forth is this will be the beginning of our country sliding toward, it is a strong word, but anarchy," Tyree said in the video. "The moment we have, if you trace back even to other cultures, other countries, that will be the moment where our society in itself loses its grip with what's right."
"It's about what's right," Tyree added. "It's about how can marriage be marriage for thousands of years and now all of the sudden, because a minority, an influential minority, has a push or an agenda and totally reshapes something that was not founded in our country, not founded by man, it is something that is holy and sacred. I think there is nothing more honorable, worth fighting for, especially if we really care about our future generations."
Tyree's video came shortly after Strahan and Steve Tisch, Giants chairman and executive vice president, came out in favor of same-sex marriage. Strahan and Tisch are two of numerous celebrities who have shot videos promoting New Yorkers for Marriage Equality through the Human Rights Campaign.
HRC spokesperson Fred Sainz responded to Tyree's comments.
"Anarchy? Hardly," he said in an email to ESPNNewYork.com. "Committed gay and lesbian couples have been able to legally marry in five states and the District of Columbia -- not to mention a number of foreign countries -- for years now and cows are still giving milk, little boys are still pulling little girls' pig tails, and we still drive on the right side of the street. New York's passage of this law will result in nothing more than a more just and equitable society."
Tyree and his agent did not respond to inquiries for comment from ESPNNewYork.com on Thursday.
Strahan had appeared in a video with his fiancee, Nicole Murphy.
"As a defensive end for the New York Giants, I always played the game tough but fair," Strahan said in the video. "And I feel it's unfair to stop committed couples from being married.
"We believe everyone should have the right to get married."
Tyree, who made one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history with the aid of his helmet to keep the Giants' game-winning drive alive against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, does not agree.
"This is what I do know, you can't teach something that you don't have," Tyree says in the video. "So two men will never be able to show a woman how to be a woman. And that's just simple. That's just for a lack of better terms, common sense."
"I'm not political, I approach more from an angle of prayer," Tyree continued. "As much as people are going to voice their opinions and make those pushes in a negative direction, I feel like athletes, believers or people who are very strong toward marriage, especially in places of position need to really take this opportunity to voice it."
"Marriage is one of those things that is the backbone of society," Tyree added. "So if you redefine it, it changes the way we educate our children, it changes the perception of what is good, what is right, what is just."
Tyree posted a message on Twitter asking for support.
"People of faith ... direct some prayers my way," his tweet read. "Got darts comin from every direction. Blessed are those persecuted for His name's sake."
Tyree retired from the NFL as a Giant last summer.
Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com. Information from ESPNNewYork.com's Jane McManus was used in this report.