Ravens Linebacker Sacks Fur, Asks Fans to Stand Up for Animals
For Immediate Release:
January 5, 2012
Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382
Los Angeles -- The Baltimore Ravens are headed to the NFL playoffs, and the team's outside linebacker Terrell Suggs is as tough as they come. Just ask any quarterback who's had to face him. But when it comes to the treatment of animals, the 6-foot 3 inch, 260-pound starting-team Pro Bowl selection is all heart. That is why Suggs jumped at the chance to slam fur and show off his amply inked torso in a brand-new ad for PETA's "Ink, Not Mink" campaign. In the ad, shot by top celebrity photographer Gabrielle Revere, Suggs advocates, "Be comfortable in your own skin, and let animals keep theirs."
Before sitting down for an exclusive PETA interview and just after reviewing graphic video footage from PETA's undercover investigations of fur farms, Suggs didn't hold back: "Once I saw what they do to the animals, you know, to get the fur, it just seemed cruel and evil," says Suggs. "I hit people for a living, and even I couldn't bear just to handle the cruelty to these animals. It's horrible." He concludes, "If you can endure through 10 seconds of the video, you gotta watch it. I think people just need to be aware of exactly what goes on to get the furs, and we could change a lot of people's minds about fur."
PETA and Suggs want consumers to know that every year millions of foxes, minks, and rabbits—and even cats and dogs—are beaten, electrocuted, and strangled for their pelts. Many are skinned alive. For every piece of fur—whether it's a full-length coat or a bit of trim on a collar or cuff—animals suffered immensely.
Suggs is the second Ravens player to shoot an "Ink, Not Mink" ad. Former Ravens running back Willis McGahee (now with the Denver Broncos) stripped down last January. Suggs joins other top athletes—including Chris Andersen, Chad Ochocinco, Amar'e Stoudemire, Tony Gonzalez, Aaron Curry, Michael Strahan, Gilbert Arenas, "Sugar" Shane Mosley, and Tito Ortiz—who have participated in PETA's campaigns.
For more information, please visit PETA.org.