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NFL

NFL players, including Tom Brady, take the political field and give $700,000 to PAC

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during a press conference at the Mall of America in advance of Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles.

WASHINGTON — The NFL’s players have decided to get more political.

Pros from all 32 teams donated to the National Football League Players Association’s One Team PAC late last year, giving nearly $700,000 to the political action committee on a single day, according to a new report the team filed this week with the Federal Election Commission.

The two franchises with the greatest participation: The Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots and the Houston Texans. Each contributed a total of $32,000.

Four players, including Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady, made the maximum $5,000 contribution to the PAC, along with the association’s chief DeMaurice Smith. The PAC, which launched in June 2016, has not yet reported making any political donations.

Smith said the PAC will allow the association to have a voice in ongoing legislative fights, such as efforts at the state level to guarantee players access to workers' compensation benefits.

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Eric Winston, the association's president and an offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals, said about 90% of players have donated to the PAC. "It's not just three guys donating big checks," he said.

"We’ve educated and tried to let guys know over the years, ‘Listen, this is how the NFL plays, this is how other people play, and we’re going to have to play on these different fields,' " Winston said.

"The political field is one of them, and the PAC will allow us to be able to move the needle on issues that we care about.“

The players’ newfound political activity comes as Washington turns a spotlight on the league. Last October, for instance, Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee held a forum featuring medical researchers and the widows of former players to examine the long-term effects of the traumatic brain injuries sustained in the game.

But no political figure is paying more attention to the NFL than President Trump, who has heaped scorn on players who kneel during the national anthem to protest racism and police brutality. He argues the protests are disrespectful and has slammed the league as “weak” for tolerating them.

Last fall, a nonprofit group run by Trump allies ran digital ads urging sports fans to stop watching televised NFL games.

More:State of the Union: Trump takes veiled shot at NFL players kneeling for national anthem

More:Anquan Boldin: 'Insane' to suggest Players Coalition sold out to NFL

At Tuesday’s State of the Union address, Trump appeared to make a veiled reference to the player protests when he praised a young boy in the audience who places U.S. flags on veterans’ graves as reminding Americans “why we proudly stand for the national anthem.”

In addition to Brady and Smith, other maxed-out donors to the political action committee: Dwayne Allen of the Indiana Colts, Jermey Parnell of the Jacksonsville Jaguars and Eric Reid of the San Francisco 49ers. Reid knelt during all this season’s games to continue the protest tradition started by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. 

Players from Philadelphia Eagles, the other team in this weekend's Super Bowl, contributed a total of $19,750 to the players' PAC.

Contributing: Nancy Armour and Jarrett Bell

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