Former athletes make runs for political office
A look at nine retired players seeking your vote in today’s general election
Nine former athletes are running for office in the general election on Tuesday. Here’s a look at each of them: ❚ Anthony Gonzalez, NFL wide re
ceiver: The 34-year-old Republican is running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy have supported him. And he’s received donations on his campaign from former teammate Peyton Manning and Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, among others.
Gonzalez played for the Colts from
2007 to 2011. He also made first team all-Big Ten at Ohio State.
❚ Adam Greenberg, MLB outfield-
er: The 37-year-old Republican is running to represent District 12 of the Connecticut State Senate, the seat Ted Kennedy Jr. gave up. He’s facing Democrat Christine Cohen in the blue district.
As a baseball player, Greenberg is best known for being hit in the head by a pitch in his first plate appearance in the majors in 2005, causing a compound skull fracture. Greenberg needed an online petition in 2012 to secure a one-day contract with the Marlins after he’d played in the minors for six years following the incident. He struck out on three pitches but still got a baseball card made for that at-bat. He retired in 2014 and was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame that same year.
❚ Jesse White, third baseman: The 84-year-old Democrat has been the Secretary of State in Illinois since 1999, the longest-serving and first African-American to hold the position. After saying he would not seek re-election in 2015, he changed course a year later and said he’d go for a sixth term.
White previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives for nearly two decades.
White had a brief stint in minor league baseball under the Cubs organization, where he was a third baseman for a variety of Class AA and AAA teams from 1959 to 1966.
❚ Frank White, second baseman: The 68-year-old Democrat is running for re-election as county executive in Jackson County, Missouri. White spent
18 years in the majors, all with the Royals. He was a five-time All-Star and on the 1985 World Series champship team.
❚ Napoleon Harris, NFL linebacker: The 39-year-old is a Democratic member of the Illinois State Senate, representing the 15th district since 2013 and running in the general election. During his NFL career from 2002 to 2008, Harris played for Oakland, Minnesota and Kansas City. He also played football and basketball at Northwestern.
❚ Colin Allred, NFL linebacker: The 35-year-old is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in Texas’ 32nd congressional district, a swing district that Hillary Clinton won over Donald Trump in 2016. Allred worked as an attorney in the Obama administration and has been endorsed by the former president. Allred played for the Titans from 2006 to 2010 after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Baylor.
❚ Clint Didier, NFL tight end: The 59-year-old Republican is running for Franklin County (Washington) Commissioner against Democrat Zahra Roach. Didier, a farmer in Eltopia, Washington, ran unsuccessfully for office four times. Didier played for Washington from 1982 to 1987, winning two Super Bowls, and then Green Bay in 1988 and 1989.
❚ Aaron Rouse, NFL safety: The 34year-old non-partisan candidate is running for an at-large seat on Virginia Beach’s City Council. Retired Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer spoke at a campaign rally in support of Rouse.
Rouse played for Green Bay and the Giants during his three-year NFL stint before finishing in the United Football League.
❚ Jim Jordan, Wisconsin wrestler and Ohio State assistant coach: The 54-year-old Republican is the U.S. Representative for Ohio’s 4th congressional district, serving since 2007. A founding member of the Freedom Caucus, Jordan served in the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio State Senate. Jordan announced he was running for the House Speaker position that will be vacant upon Paul Ryan’s retirement in January.
At Wisconsin, Jordan was a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion. He was also a three-time All-American and remains the Badgers’ all-time wins leader.
Jordan also was an Ohio State assis- tant wrestling coach from 1986 to 1994. His time there recently came under controversy when the university opened an investigation in April looking into sexual misconduct allegations by former team physician Richard Strauss. Eight former wrestlers said Jordan was aware but didn’t do anything about the alleged sexual misconduct.