TEXANS SCORING POLITICAL POINTS
Houston players helping lead the NFL in reviving political action committee
When the final whistle blows at the Super Bowl on Sunday, it will mark the end of one of the most turbulent political years in the National Football League’s history and one in which the players have responded by flexing their political muscle in ways never seen before.
The players’ activism sometimes drew scorn from fans and President Donald Trump, but they have no intention of scaling back, and there are signs they’re gearing up.
New federal financial disclosure reports show the league’s players have poured more than $700,000 into a political action committee that promises to give them more access to key politicians on Capitol Hill and more influence in federal politics independent of the NFL and its owners. On one day in November, more than 1,300 players donated money to the previously dormant One Team PAC, including some of the league’s biggest stars such as New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees.
The Texans were among the most aggressive at supporting the fund. According to Federal Election Commission records, $32,000 came from Texans players. Only New England Patriots players spent as much among the league’s 32 teams.
“This is definitely a sign of the times,” said David Niven, a University of Cincinnati political science professor who teaches a class on sports and politics. “The players have been forced into a more politically active stance.”
In September, Trump made that certain when at a rally in Alabama he called for NFL owners to ban players from the field if they did not stand during the national anthem.
More specifically, Trump said NFL owners should respond by saying: “Get that son of a bitch off the field right now, he’s fired. He’s fired!”
That touched off calls for boycotts of the league by some Republicans on Capitol Hill. Others, like U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, took a knee on the floor of the U.S. House to show solidarity with the players.
“I kneel in honor of them,” Jackson Lee said during the speech. “I kneel because the flag is a symbol of freedom. I kneel because I am going to stand against racism.”
Niven said the fueled up PAC gives players more of a chance at finding voices who are not against them in the political world because of the kneeling controversy.
Anthem controversy
A Seton Hall University poll released Thursday asked more than 700 people if they approved or disapproved of NFL players who protested during the playing of the national anthem throughout the season. The poll showed 46 percent disapproved. An earlier Seton Hall poll from November had found more than 71 percent of respondents wanted Trump to stay out of the issue.
The anthem controversy is hardly the only issue over which players have found themselves in the heat of political debates at the U.S. Capitol. In October, former players such as ex-New York Giants linebacker Harry Carson and medical professionals testified at another forum on Capitol Hill about the growing research into brain injuries suffered by football players. Carson said he and other players have lobbied the surgeon general and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to require more warnings to parents when their children sign up to play contact sports.
The NFL and its players have also been part of congressional debates over drug testing, domestic violence and stadium subsidies.
Also, every time there is labor strife between the union and owners, the league finds itself in the middle of political debates in Washington, where the NFL owners have had a decided advantage.
The league, which typically wants Congress to stay out of the labor battles, has its own prolific political action committee called Gridiron PAC, which has given more than $2 million to congressional candidates since 2010. That money is generally split nearly evenly among Republicans and Democrats. For instance, since the start of 2015, the Gridiron PAC has given $254,000 to Democrats and $249,000 to Republicans.
While some fans might bemoan football players being more active politically, Niven said the NFL owners have been deeply engaged in politics almost from the league’s inception. He said the NFL’s Gridiron PAC shows the league has been active on Capitol Hill while the players have been less organized in the political arena.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the son of a former New York congressman and senator, started the Gridiron PAC after he became commissioner, and the league has spent more than $1 million a year on lobbying in Washington, D.C., since 2007 — Goodell’s first full year as commissioner. In the five years prior, the league spent less than $500,000 on lobbying per year on average.
The National Football League Players Association has also had lobbyists, but spent just $480,000 over the last two years, compared to $2.2 million spent by the NFL, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics.
Niven said if the players sustain what they did in November by putting $700,000 in the PAC, they can have a long-term presence on Capitol Hill to look out for their interests and give them better access to key voices in Congress. Niven said the superstar players likely have some access. But he said for lesser-known players with fleeting careers, the PAC has the potential of giving them more say in politics — something they haven’t had.
The ayes of Texas
That voice particularly affects Texas. Nearly one of every five NFL players is from Texas, according to player rosters.
Texans players such as star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and linebackers Jadeveon Clowney and Brian Cushing are among 60 players listed as Texans who gave to the fund. The biggest donation from someone listed as a Texan was no longer with the team: quarterback Brock Osweiler. He gave $2,500 to the fund. On FEC reports filed Wednesday, Osweiler was listed as a member of the Texans, though he was traded to the Cleveland Browns in March 2017.
The next biggest donors from the Texans were offensive linemen Duane Brown, who has since been traded to the Seahawks, and Xavier Su’aFilo, each of whom gave $1,000.
Texans superstar defensive end J.J. Watt was not among the listed donors in the FEC reports.
The only team with players that gave as much as the Texans were the New England Patriots. Their players gave $32,000 to the committee, led by Brady, whose $5,000 left him tied with three other players for the biggest donation.
Others who gave $5,000 included Brady’s teammate and tight end Dwayne Allen, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Jermey Parnell, and San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid.
Dallas Cowboys players donated just over $20,000 to the fund. The donations included $500 each from quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott and tight end Jason Witten.