Taking It to the House
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LENNIE FRIEDMAN Redskins 28-year-old offensive lineman | BRANDON SHORT Panthers 27-year-old linebacker | ROMAN OBEN Chargers 32-year-old offensive tackle | |
EXPERIENCE | Last summer, interned as a page on Capitol Hill for Rep. Scott Garrett (R., N.J.). | Driving force behind, and frequent public stumper for, NFL voter registration initiative that encourages players and fans to vote. | Interned with Reps. Bill Pascrell (D., N.J.) and Dennis Kucinich (D., Ohio); has master's degree in public administration from Fairleigh Dickinson. |
WHAT I'D RUN FOR | U.S. Congress, Raleigh, N.C. "You can get a lot done on both the national and local level." | U.S. Senate, either in North Carolina or his native Pennsylvania. | Governor of New Jersey. "I think I could do a better job than the guy who's there." |
FAVORITE LEGAL LANDMARK | Bill of Rights. "It's what separates America from everyone else." | 14th Amendment, granting citizenship and protecting civil liberties of freed slaves. | Brown v. Board of Education |
TRUTH ABOUT POLITICS | "You go in with great ideas, and somewhere along the way those ideas get convoluted." | "You have to watch your facial expressions because as a politician you always have to be on." | "You can get invited to a banquet twice a week for the rest of your life." |
MOST POLITICAL ASPECT OF FOOTBALL | Interacting with the press. "There's no question you're a public figure. You've got to be able to handle yourself in the appropriate manner." | Pro Bowl balloting. "You end up voting for the people who have the commercials or somebody you see on ESPN." | The hiring of "good-looking coaches. Good football minds like Romeo Crennel, Ted Cottrell, Charlie Weis--the guys who look boring-- just aren't getting hired." |
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WILLIAM WHITEHURST/CORBIS (BUTTON)
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MANUEL BALCE CENETA/AP (FRIEDMAN)
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DAVE OXFORD/AP (SHORT)
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AJ MAST/ICON SMI (OBEN)