Even before the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Broke aired last month, we had all heard plenty of sad stories about athletes who experienced serious financial difficulties in their post-playing careers. With that in mind, here’s a shout out to ex-Raiders LB and Illinois state Senator-elect Napoleon Harris, who is now set to run for the U.S. Congress Seat vacated by Jesse Jackson Jr. per ESPN.com and the Chicago Sun-Times:
“I’m running,” Harris told the Sun-Times. “The primary reason I chose to run for the state Senate is the heartbeat and the pulse of my constituents. But over the last few months, we’ve gotten overwhelming support to put my name in the ring for the congressional seat.”
Harris, a Northwestern alum who played for the Raiders, Chiefs, and Vikings, owns two pizza restaurants in the Chicago area and was elected to the Illinois Senate earlier this month. Here is a link to Harris’ campaign page from his Illinois state Senate campaign: http://harrisforilsenate.com/. Win or lose, let’s hope that Harris can inspire more athletes to handle business in their post-playing careers.