He anchored the offensive line in 210 career games with 187 starts. In 2002, Birk created the HIKE Foundation to help at-risk youth. He brought it to Baltimore-area public schools in 2010. Birk is considered among the smartest players in the NFL. He and his wife, who volunteers at a crisis center for pregnant women, have six children together. Birk has made headlines for his conservative views on abortion and same-sex marriage, and for refusing to visit the White House and President Barack Obama following the Ravens’ Super Bowl win in protest of Obama’s support for Planned Parenthood. He plans to donate his brain to research after his death. In 2014 he was named the NFL director of player development.