Former NFL kicker, current broadcaster Jay Feely to run for Congress in Arizona
Former NFL kicker Jay Feely is giving up broadcasting to run for Congress.
Feely told ESPN on Tuesday that he will run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona's 5th Congressional District during the 2026 midterm election. He filed a statement of interest with the Arizona secretary of state, which is required before a candidate can begin collecting signatures for a spot on the ballot.
'I'm excited about this next chapter of my life,' Feely told ESPN. 'I think that I feel God's calling pressing me into service, and that's really what I believe it is, is the civil service. I don't believe we have enough politicians that get into political office not for self-serving measures and that get into political office and don't want it to be a career, and that's what I believe.
'I believe it is very much a civil service.'
Feely, 48, is running for a seat vacated by Rep. Andy Biggs, who has announced his candidacy for Arizona governor in 2026.
He is a Republican who said the July assassination attempt on President Donald Trump convinced him to run.
Feely kicked in the NFL for 14 seasons, retiring after the 2014 season, and he has spent the past 10 seasons broadcasting NFL games for CBS.
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