ANTHONY Gonzalez is best known for his role in Congress but was once a star on the NFL pitch.
After being drafted in 2007, the Republican would go on to play professionally for five more years, before assuming a leading role in politics. Here’s all you need to know.
Which NFL team did Anthony Gonzalez play for?
From 2007 to 2012, Antony Gonzelez was a wide receiver and slot player for the Indianapolis Colts.
During his five-year spell, he won three AFC South Division titles (2007, 2009, 2010), an AFC title (2009), and a trip to the Super Bowl XILIV.
In his first two seasons, he recorded 7 touchdowns as well as completing more than 1000 successful passes – earning plaudits for his performances.
But in 2009, he suffered an injury that left him to let him absent from the side of the rest of the season
Following a separate injury to his leg in 2010, his career never recovered as he appeared just eight times in the 2011 season.
Gonzalez was an unrestricted free agent after the off-season. He signed with the New England Patriots and was released two years later.
In September 2021, he announced his retirement from the sport and enrolled in the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
The institution later awarded him a Master of Business Administration degree.
When did Anthony Gonzalez begin his political career?
Gonzalez filed for the Republican nomination for Ohio in 2018.
He was elected quickly with 57% of the votes, becoming the first Latino representative in the district.
He was re-elected again in 2020, defeating Democratic nominee, physicist Aaron Paul Godfrey, by 63.2% to 36.8%.
He voted for and against separate impeachment cases against former President Donald Trump during his tenure.
It came after two charges were leveled against Trump. They relate to the 2020 election and the Capitol Hill riots of January 2021.
Gonzalez was one of ten Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for the latter, claiming the former President had helped “organize and incite a mob.”
Will Anthony Gonzalez run for re-election in 2022?
Gonzalez, an Ohio resident, declared that he will not be seeking re-election in 2021.
Gonzalez, 36, said that he had decided to not run for re-election because of the increased responsibilities his wife Elizabeth has as parents to their two children, as well as the turmoil within Republican Party.
In a Twitter post, he stated: “While my desire to build a full family life is at the heart of my decision, it is also true that the current state of our politics, especially many of the toxic dynamics inside our own party, is a significant factor in my decision.”