In a wide-ranging interview on the racial climate in America, Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson brought up Planned Parenthood’s founding, saying the organization was created to “exterminate blacks.”

Mr. Watson said black support for Planned Parenthood is “ironic,” given that the organization was founded by eugenicist Margaret Sanger in order to control “unfit” populations.

“I do know that blacks kind of represent a large portion of abortions, and I do know that honestly the whole idea with Planned Parenthood and Sanger in the past was to exterminate blacks, and it’s kind of ironic that it’s working,” he said in an interview with Turning Point Pregnancy Resource Center.

“We support candidates, and overwhelmingly support the idea of having Planned Parenthood and the like, and yet, that is why she created it,” he added. “We are buying it hook, line and sinker, like it’s a great thing.” Mr. Watson, who is promoting a new book about racial reconciliation, “Under Our Skin,” has previously been outspoken about his Christian beliefs.

He said it’s difficult for black people to climb the socioeconomic ladder when abortion is so prevalent in the black community.

“We sit here and talk about advancing the black agenda, whatever that means, we talk about our interests, and what’s important to us — like having political power and advancement and all those things — and then we are turning around and killing our children,” he said.

Mr. Watson said he is “sympathetic” to people considering having an abortion, but said people are “buying into the lie that it’s our personal decision to make.”