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Former New York Jets center Nick Mangold, a free agent for nearly a year, refuted a report he may run for Congress. Mangold was being recruited by GOP officials in New Jersey to run for Congress, according to Politico. Essex County Republican chairman Al Barlas told Politico that Mangold was "intrigued" by the idea of running in the GOP primary to replace retiring Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen in the 11th district of New Jersey. Hours after the report was published, Mangold tweeted a statement saying he not running. "I am not running for Congress," he said. "While it would be an amazing opportunity and honor to serve the people of New Jersey's District 11, I am not at a place where I could commit to that. I like to investigate every opportunity that comes to me and this one will not go any further. However I do appreciate the support that was given in my short period of possibly thinking of running for Congress." Mangold, 34, is a registered Republican and stumped for Donald Trump in Dayton, Ohio, during the presidential election. He also worked as an intern for Trump in 2011. One of the most decorated players in Jets history, Mangold has reached a crossroads in his professional life. After sitting out the 2017 season, he indicated last week in an interview at the Super Bowl that he's not sure if he wants to resume his football career in 2018. "[I'm] in football purgatory," he said. "I'm not up, and I'm not down. I'm somewhere in between, all over the place. My foot is starting to feel better. I'm starting to get back into things. Is this something I still want to do? I don't know where I am." He said his foot, injured in 2016, never was healthy last season.
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