Over the years, former athletes and coaches like Burgess Owens, J.C. Watts, Tom Osborne, and Tommy Tuberville have all entered the political arena.
And with sports becoming more political almost every day, there’s no doubt that list will likely soon be growing.
Up next, though, may just be this football legend, who recently sent out a cryptic Tweet that has everyone convinced he’s running for the U.S. Senate in Georgia.
Back in March, former President Donald Trump let the world know who he thought should run for U.S. Senate in Georgia in 2022 against Democrat Ralphael Warnock, who was controversially declared the winner of a special election runoff in January despite winning less than 19% of the counties in the state.
“Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the legendary Herschel Walker ran for the United States Senate in Georgia?” Trump said in a statement.
“He would be unstoppable, just like he was when he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and in the NFL,” Trump continued. “He is also a GREAT person. Run Herschel, run!”
That statement followed weeks of speculation that Walker may have interest in running for the seat, and only amplified the calls from Georgians for the legendary University of Georgia running back to challenge the unpopular Warnock.
In April, during an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, Walker confirmed that he was “really considering it,” but was still consulting with his family on what the best decision was for them.
“I’m very honored that they would consider me running for the Senate,” Walker said. “My family, we’re still going through this process of praying and really considering it. And at the same time, I take it very seriously. And people want me to decide, like, right now. And I said, ‘Guys, I want to take my time because this is a very serious, serious thing.’
“But I will tell you this, Hershel Walker believes in God,” Walker continued. “I believe in this country. I believe in the people. And I’m going to fight for the people of Georgia if I run, so just stay tuned. And I tell you what, it’s going to be exciting.”
Now, some two months later, Walker has yet to make an announcement one way or another.
But thanks to a cryptic, 21-second video Tweet he sent out on Thursday, the entire world is now convinced that Herschel Walker is running for the U.S. Senate.
In the video, Walker revs his car and says, “Hey, what you hear there is ‘Hulk,’ and that’s what I call it.”
“He’s ready. I’m getting ready. And we can run with the big dogs,” Walker continued as he kneeled down beside his Georgia license plate.
Georgia on my mind pic.twitter.com/JdKJ193Nkn
— Herschel Walker (@HerschelWalker) June 17, 2021
Outlets like The New York Times and Yahoo! News ran stories on Walker’s Tweet, speculating that it was all but confirmation that he would be running.
That’s mainly due to the fact that while Georgia is Walker’s home state, he currently resides in Texas, meaning the Georgia license tag he was showing off in his Tweet could be a signal that he is putting the pieces in place for a campaign.
Georgia’s U.S. Senate race will undoubtedly be a top priority for Republicans in 2022, as they only lost the seat in January because of low Republican voter turnout due to voters disillusioned by the 2020 election results.
And having an immensely popular Georgia football legend who will have the support of Donald Trump from day one on the ticket, will certainly go a long way towards turning the state back red.
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
