The Nook Removes 'Birk Burger' After Candidate's 'Rape Card' Remark

ST. PAUL, MN — The popular Nook bar and restaurant in St. Paul has renamed its burger that previously honored St. Paul native and former Minnesota Vikings center, Matt Birk.

The "Birk Burger" — which featured two patties with pepper jack cheese costing $16.25 — is now called the "Double Stack Pepperjack Burger," the restaurant told Patch.

The change was made after a recent speech given by Birk in which he touched on abortion and rape.

"Rape is obviously a horrible thing," Birk said while speaking at the National Right to Life conference in Georgia in June.

"But an abortion is not going to heal the wounds of that. Two wrongs, it’s not going to make it right. One of the arguments that I saw probably 20 times online today was about rape. And you know, obviously, they always want to go to the rape card."

Birk also said that our current culture "loudly but also stealthily promotes abortion" by "telling women they should look a certain way, they should have careers."

The comments drew national attention, garnering coverage from Vanity Fair and The View.

"This isn't just politics as usual -- Matt Birks ignorant comments about women should matter to everyone," read a petition on Change.org. "Comments that disgusting do not warrant a burger that delicious. The Nook should do the right thing & change the name of the burger currently named for him."

Birk attended Cretin Durham Hall Catholic High School, which is located across the street from The Nook. He played football at Harvard Unversity before the Minnesota Vikings drafted him in 1998. In 2009, Birk signed with the Baltimore Ravens and won a Super Bowl with them in the 2012-2013 season.

Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan criticized Birk for his remarks, stating "The disturbing remarks from my opponent are disrespectful toward survivors of sexual assault and their policy is even worse. An abortion ban would deny survivors the choice to end their pregnancy and force them to live the lives their rapists chose for them rather than ones they want for themselves."

Flanagan added that "We can’t afford to elect anti-choice leaders who don't trust or respect survivors and who think that we should discourage women from having careers. A woman’s choice to have a career – much like her decision on when and whether to have a child – is none of my opponent’s business."