Maryland Delegate Emmitt C. Burns, Jr., after a 
few days as a national punchline, has had some time for 
"reflect[ion]":
"Upon reflection, he has his First Amendment rights," Del. Emmett C.  Burns Jr., a Baltimore County Democrat, said in a telephone interview.  "And I have my First Amendment rights. … Each of us has the right to  speak our opinions. The football player and I have a right to speak our  minds."
Glad we got that straight. Still, it is  frightening that it took "reflection" for a public official to realize  that "the football player" has First Amendment rights and the same right as him to speak his opinion.