JAG
07-13-2004, 12:09 PM
Too funny. I'd actually have a reason to watch C-SPAN.
hxxp://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1838856
Ditka considering replacing Ryan on ticket
From pitching Levitra to pushing legislation? From analyzing the subtle elements of football in the comfort of an ESPN studio to citing nuances of the U.S. Constitution during a heated session on Capitol Hill?
Heck, from being Da Coach to walking hallowed halls as Da Senator?
Former Bears coach and now ESPN football analyst Mike Ditka is considering a run for the U.S. Senate, according to media reports out of Chicago. And so are supporters, who last month created a Web site -- draftditka.com -- to solicit 10,000 signatures to prompt Ditka on.
Ditka, 65, told WGN on Monday that he's toying with the idea of taking Illinois Republican nominee Jack Ryan's place on the November ballot. Ryan took himself out of the running after a controversy erupted over a court-ordered release of the records from his divorce from actress Jeri Ryan. In the 1999 case, Ryan's then-wife claimed the former GOP favorite had taken her to a series of avante-garde sex clubs, an accusation that promptly derailed Ryan's bid for the Republican nomination.
"I'm getting excited about it," Ditka told the Chicago Tribune. "I'm just thinking about it."
In the wake of the Ryan scandal, GOP officials are taking Ditka, a popular figure in Chicago after having led the Bears to a Super Bowl victory in 1986, under serious consideration.
"Mike Ditka would be a great candidate because he represents the average Illinoisan," state Sen. Dave Syverson, a Republican State Central Committee member, told the Tribune. "He's just a decent, ordinary guy that worked hard and wasn't handed anything but made it successful."
As a member of the Hall of Fame and a one-time standout tight end for the Bears, Ditka at least possesses the necessary profile. Retired from the NFL after a failed stint as New Orleans Saints coach, Ditka, was hired this spring by ESPN as a studio analyst. He owns a popular Chicago restaurant and commands up to $50,000 per appearance as a motivational speaker.
His only forays into politics have been as an occasional guest speaker, primarily at local Republican rallies. One such appearance stands out, though: Da Coach spoke before a crowd of 10,000 at the College of DuPage in support of the Bush-Cheney ticket in November 2000.
Allowed U.S. Representative Mark Kirk of Illinois, one of several prominent Republicans contributing to the search for a Ryan successor: "We're taking a long look at him."
While the likelihood remains that Ditka will not enter the Senate race, for now at least, he appears to be taking a long look at it, too.
"I'm not a genius," he said Monday. "I'm pretty common sense. I'm just a guy. [But] I don't see a whole lot of [common sense] prevailing in the Senate right now."
ESPN.com senior writer Len Pasquarelli contributed to this story.
hxxp://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1838856
Ditka considering replacing Ryan on ticket
From pitching Levitra to pushing legislation? From analyzing the subtle elements of football in the comfort of an ESPN studio to citing nuances of the U.S. Constitution during a heated session on Capitol Hill?
Heck, from being Da Coach to walking hallowed halls as Da Senator?
Former Bears coach and now ESPN football analyst Mike Ditka is considering a run for the U.S. Senate, according to media reports out of Chicago. And so are supporters, who last month created a Web site -- draftditka.com -- to solicit 10,000 signatures to prompt Ditka on.
Ditka, 65, told WGN on Monday that he's toying with the idea of taking Illinois Republican nominee Jack Ryan's place on the November ballot. Ryan took himself out of the running after a controversy erupted over a court-ordered release of the records from his divorce from actress Jeri Ryan. In the 1999 case, Ryan's then-wife claimed the former GOP favorite had taken her to a series of avante-garde sex clubs, an accusation that promptly derailed Ryan's bid for the Republican nomination.
"I'm getting excited about it," Ditka told the Chicago Tribune. "I'm just thinking about it."
In the wake of the Ryan scandal, GOP officials are taking Ditka, a popular figure in Chicago after having led the Bears to a Super Bowl victory in 1986, under serious consideration.
"Mike Ditka would be a great candidate because he represents the average Illinoisan," state Sen. Dave Syverson, a Republican State Central Committee member, told the Tribune. "He's just a decent, ordinary guy that worked hard and wasn't handed anything but made it successful."
As a member of the Hall of Fame and a one-time standout tight end for the Bears, Ditka at least possesses the necessary profile. Retired from the NFL after a failed stint as New Orleans Saints coach, Ditka, was hired this spring by ESPN as a studio analyst. He owns a popular Chicago restaurant and commands up to $50,000 per appearance as a motivational speaker.
His only forays into politics have been as an occasional guest speaker, primarily at local Republican rallies. One such appearance stands out, though: Da Coach spoke before a crowd of 10,000 at the College of DuPage in support of the Bush-Cheney ticket in November 2000.
Allowed U.S. Representative Mark Kirk of Illinois, one of several prominent Republicans contributing to the search for a Ryan successor: "We're taking a long look at him."
While the likelihood remains that Ditka will not enter the Senate race, for now at least, he appears to be taking a long look at it, too.
"I'm not a genius," he said Monday. "I'm pretty common sense. I'm just a guy. [But] I don't see a whole lot of [common sense] prevailing in the Senate right now."
ESPN.com senior writer Len Pasquarelli contributed to this story.