Former NFL player Craig James said attempts to silence athletes from speaking out against homosexuality is the work of Satan.

“If I were a current player in that locker room and my livelihood depended me on being quiet or losing it because of my belief system, I worry. I wonder. That’s Satan working on us,” James said Monday on a radio program broadcast by the Family Research Council.

James’ comments come in light of a brief filed by 379 businesses and employer organizations urging the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down bans on gay marriage.

James played for the New England Patriots in the late 1980s; the team is among those that have signed the brief.

The former running back has worked for Fox Sports and ESPN and had a failed run for Senate in 2012. Fox Sports Southwest fired him for his anti-gay stance.

“We just asked ourselves how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department,” a Fox spokesman told the Dallas Morning News. “He couldn’t say those things here.”



Twitter users posted sharp responses to Craig's most recent comments.

Dear Craig James: I am not gay but I support marriage equality. I do not "have a problem with God". I have a problem with bigots like you.

— Corolla Girl (@Corollagirl196) March 10, 2015

Another in the myriad of reasons to despise Craig James. http://t.co/Excpg7HatE

— Tom (@trichards848) March 10, 2015

So Craig James failed as a college athlete, a pro, an announcer, and a politician. Who cares what he thinks?

— Patrick Burke (@BurkieYCP) March 10, 2015

Pretty sure Satan is more likable than Craig James at this point. http://t.co/wpoor9p2ie

— Chris Strauss (@chris_strauss) March 10, 2015

Even in irrelevance and exile, Craig James manages to make headlines for being a bigot http://t.co/oxtrKsbz5p

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) March 10, 2015

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