Colin Allred spent years in the NFL avoiding being a “distraction.” Now that he’s retired, he’s ready to distract the Trump administration with a run for a spot in the House.

Last week, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress related an unusual bit of campaign biography:

“We were playing the Jets,” said Colin Allred, a former linebacker with the Tennessee Titans. “It was a really physical game. … [James Ihedigbo], who was a safety — a big, jacked-up guy — he ran into me on a kickoff return. When he hit me, I lost [the feeling in] my hand — I couldn’t close my right hand. I came over to the sideline and said, ‘Coach, there’s something wrong with my hand.’

“The next week, in a game against Jacksonville, on a kickoff return my entire right side just shut down. That’s when I knew I had a neck problem.”

Every politician can tell you a story of adversity that — at least according to them — proves their mettle for high office. Few of these stories involve a kick return. Allred’s collision with Ihedigbo happened in 2009. The next season, against the Dallas Cowboys, Allred ran into Martellus Bennett on a power running play. “I was lying on the turf,” Allred said. “He was like, ‘Hey, man, are you OK?’ I was like, ‘No, man, I’m not OK.’ I just knew that was it.” Allred could no longer help the Titans. But if things go right, he might help the Democrats.

One of the curiosities of Donald Trump’s presidency is how much pressure he exerts on athletes. Last month, Bennett and other holdouts skipped the Patriots’ White House visit; on the other side of the aisle, Curt Schilling has followed Trump into the postfactual Upside Down. Allred, who is 34 and lives in Dallas, belongs to a third category of athlete: He is actually running for something. Allred’s congressional race is fascinating not just because he’s an emissary from the sports world but because the seat he’s running for is the kind Democrats need to win if they’re going to take back the House.

https://theringer.com/colin-allred-nfl-house-of-representatives-texas-campaign-aafdd5ac7c8b