Former Patriots, Colts wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez elected to House of Representatives

If you live in the United State, you probably noticed that midterm elections took place yesterday (you probably also noticed if you live abroad). While Pats Pulpit is no political outlet, we do cover developments regarding the New England Patriots and one such happened yesterday when former Patriot Anthony Gonzalez won his election to represent Ohio’s 16th congressional district in the House of Representatives.

Gonzalez, who originally entered the NFL as a first-round draft pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 2007, came to New England as a free agent in March 2012. However, he never actually appeared in a game for the team as he was released by the Patriots just two months after joining them. The Ohio State product subsequently decided to end his career in professional football and instead earn his MBA at Stanford.

In September 2017, Gonzalez announced his bid trying to fill a vacant House seat in his home state. With the help of donations from former Colts teammates Peyton Manning and Austin Collie — he himself also a short-time member of the Patriots —, the 34-year old was able to win the Republican nomination. Yesterday, Gonzalez defeated his Democratic opponent with a rather convincing 56.8%.

Gonzalez is not the first ex-Patriot player to go into politics after his retirement. Former New England safety James Mildren, who was with the team in 1974, served as Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma from 1991 to 1995 representing the Democratic Party. On the other end of the political spectrum, Ex-Patriots running back Craig James (1984-1988) unsuccessfully tried to become the Republican nominee for a vacant Senate seat in 2012.