Last Updated: Nov. 1, 2000
Green Bay - In the not so distant past, some Green Bay Packers have let their political leanings be well known.
Former tight end Mark Chmura refused to attend a team gathering on the field when President Bill Clinton made an appearance at Lambeau Field. He also refused to attend the reception at the White House after the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI.
Former left tackle Ken Ruettgers was a known "dittohead," the nickname for fans of conservative radio talker Rush Limbaugh.
So with a presidential election less than a week away, where do the Packer players stand?
Today's Packers aren't as overtly political, but when asked many were willing to talk and showed strong interest.
In what was hardly a scientific sampling, Packer players that were in the locker room Monday appear to be favoring Al Gore, the Democrat nominee, over George Bush, the Republican.
Many are paying close attention to the race. Some others are not.
"This is a big election coming up," said defensive end Vonnie Holliday, who preferred not to divulge who he'd be pulling the lever for. "I would hope all the guys are paying close attention because it's important. Young people in the past haven't done a great job of showing up at the polls, and I think it's time that we all do a better job of it. I know I plan to go out and vote."
As professional football players, most are in a tax-bracket atmosphere that might lend favor to Bush's calls for tax relief. Gore, on the other hand, claims Bush's proposals favor only an elite "top 1%." Many of the players, however, fall into that category.
Holliday admitted as much but said many other factors will determine his vote.
"That's true, if you want to be selfish about it all," Holliday said. "But you've got to look at the big picture, the bigger scheme. I haven't always been in the upper 1%, and I take all that into account.
"I feel very fortunate to be able to be in the situation I'm in, being in the top 1%, and a part of being in that 1% is paying taxes and paying at a higher rate. When I first got here, I thought it was unfair, but I guess that's one of the things that goes along with it all."
Tackle Santana Dotson hails from Bush's home state. Dotson's off-season home is Houston, the city Gore's campaign ads will tell you has the dirtiest air in America. While Bush appears to be an overwhelming choice of Texans (he's polling at about 70% there), Dotson will be one of the voters not supporting the governor.
Dotson noted that the players do talk about the issues in the locker room.
"The biggest thing the folks in this locker room talk about is tax breaks," Dotson said.
But Bush's perceived bigger tax breaks are not playing with Dotson.
"My grandmother says 'Don't play in the Bushes,' " Dotson said. "I'm voting for Gore."
On the flip side, rookie tackle Chad Clifton is from Gore's home state of Tennessee. It was pointed out that numerous polls show Gore could be the first presidential candidate to lose his home state since George McGovern in 1972.
"He is (trailing)," Clifton said of Gore. "I think people like what Bush has to say. I like Bush's proposal for tax breaks, but it all comes down to Congress has to make the final say-so and whether they're going to vote it in."
In the end, Clifton said, "I'll probably vote for Bush."
Fullback William Henderson spoke the longest and in the most detail.
"I'm paying quite a bit of attention to the election, actually," Henderson said. "I want to know what's going on in my near-presidential future and I want to know who's going to be running the country or at least being in the showcase to run the country."
So where does he stand?
"I've usually stuck with the Democratic point of view, even though I'm not going to proclaim myself as a Democrat right now. It's one of those things that I do realize the majority of the country doesn't have an affluent, abundant amount of wealth. You can't be conservative about everything, trying to make sure that you preserve your wealth because you've got to look out for the basic good of everybody. But there's some mind-set and some different things going on with the two candidates that have me a little ill-at-ease with guys we have running.
"I think Gore has a good track record in the way that they've run the country the last few years. The country's definitely in the black right now, and a lot of that can be attributed to what they've done in office.
"And the quirks and problems I've seen in Texas from first-hand experience and talking to people from Texas really doesn't leave me with too great a feeling about Bush."
Taxes, however, are an issue that also has Henderson's attention.
"Taxes are the No. 1 issue," Henderson said. "That's the No. 1 thing we brought up when Bush was here. I didn't get a chance to talk to Gore when I went over to the Democratic fund-raiser they had here back in the summer. I wanted to actually ask him about it. 'What are we going to do about the entertainers being in the most incredibly high tax bracket?' But we're not the only ones. It's just that that tax bracket is just ridiculous when you're almost taxed at 50% of your income before you get a chance to see your check. It's a little bit taxing, a little bit stressful.
"That causes you to wonder and weigh back and forth. Do you want to think about a Republican standpoint because Republicans are trying to decrease our tax factor? At least that's one of the No. 1 things they talk about. But I have a lot of family that aren't as affluent as I am and I do realize that public funds and functions tend to benefit them. If they don't get it from that, they're going to come to me, so one way or another I'm still going to give it up."
Henderson noted that center Mike Flanagan is one of the Democrats he talks politics with. He noted safety Scott McGarrahan and backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck as Republicans with whom he'll engage in political banter.
Unfortunately, McGarrahan and Hasselbeck weren't around on Monday to talk politics.
Flanagan noted he'll probably be voting for Gore, but he did have a caveat.
"To be honest, I think there's been better candidates in the past," an unimpressed Flanagan said.
But whether the choice is Bush, Gore or a third-party candidate, Henderson noted the most important thing of all.
"My one thing is," he said, "and my grandmother preached it to me as a child and a young adult, that we've put too much work and our forefathers have put too much work into the ability to have a voice, and it really doesn't matter what your opinion is if you don't go out and cast your vote because you're basically showing that you really don't care. So get out there and cast your vote."