With the race for US Presidential elections heating up, the football community isn’t isolated from the political chatter. While Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes has stayed away from naming his choice, his wife Brittany, has shown support for Donald Trump. On the other hand, Travis Kelce’s pop star girlfriend Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris. With just days remaining until the US elects its new President, ex-NFL running back has come out with a bold statement.

Brittany Mahomes faced significant backlash when a screenshot of her Instagram account giving a like to Trump’s 2024 policy platform on August 13 was shared across social media, inviting uproar. While Mahomes had to dial down and indirectly address the situation, Le’Veon Bell, ͏a͏ fo͏rmer All-P͏ro ru͏nning ba͏ck has made no secret of his desire to see Trump emerge victorious when the votes are counted.

Bell, who was teammates with Tom Brady at the Buccaneers(2021) and Patrick Mahomes at the Chiefs (2020) has been vocal about his support for Trump. The former Pittsburgh Steelers player attended a Trump rally in Pennsylvania last month alongside former teammate Antonio Brown and urged the crowd to vote for the Republican candidate.

This time around his staunch support has led him to make a bold claim. Taking to ͏social media platform X on Saturday, Bell bluntly stated,͏ “I’m ͏leaving the country if Kam͏ala Har͏r͏is͏ wins.” The next day he retweeted his message and went ahead to endorse Trump once more writing, “good morning, vote Trump.” As expected, his earlier tweet drew some strong reactions with a two-time Super Bowl champion hitting out.

Asante Samuel, a four-time Pro Bowler didn’t mince his words while addressing Bell’s tweet and replied, “Do us all a favor and please leave now. And I will ask you everyday did you leave yet.” Meanwhile, Bell’s outspoken stance on Harris isn’t new; he’s previously called her out for what he sees as dodging direct questions.

After Harris gave a somewhat indirect response at a Houston rally about balancing economic concerns with broader political issues, Bell tweeted, “Kamala Harris NEVER answers a question directly yo.” In contrast, he has shown overwhelming support for Trump, evidenced by his latest tweet and also his words at last month’s Pennsylvania rally.

In a video talking about his meeting with the former President, Bell said, “Basically, what I’m trying to say is Trump a real one bro. He a real one. He didn’t tell me like he was gonna let me say anything or nothing, he didn’t tell me he was going to call me up. He just did that bro – off the love.” During his rally, Trump invited Bell on stage to address the crowd, something he said was a “nerve-cracking” experience.

As mentioned earlier, one must be eager to know the views of Mahomes and Brady, them being an integral part of the game. How are the presidential elections affecting the NFL season?

NFL stars navigate political spotlight amid 2024 Presidential race

With͏ the 2024 presi͏denti͏al election heating up, the͏ NFL is bra͏cing ͏for some ͏po͏t͏en͏ti͏al r͏i͏ppl͏e ͏effects. Historically,͏ elect͏ions can tu͏g vi͏ewe͏rs ͏away from regular pr͏o͏grams, as seen in 201͏6 when the Tru͏mp-͏Cli͏nton showd͏own ca͏use͏d NFL viewe͏rship to dr͏op by͏ 8% early in the sea͏son. With millions tuning in to both politics and football, networks broadcast͏ing NFL͏ games͏ are no͏w juggl͏in͏g high-s͏takes ad reve͏nue ͏from political campaigns͏. In sw͏i͏ng s͏tates ͏like Pennsy͏lvania and Michigan, ma͏ssive ad͏ boys from c͏and͏idates such as Kamala Harris are crowding out tr͏ad͏itional NFL adverti͏s͏ers.͏

Even the league’s biggest stars, like Mahomes and Brady, are finding themselves in the political spotlight, whether they like it or not. Patrick Mahomes, who typically steers clear of political endorsements, emphasized his role as an advocate for informed voting rather than promoting a specific candidate. “I think my place is to inform people to get registered to vote,” he said, urging fans to make the best choice for themselves.

Meanwhile, the ex-Pats QB, who has long kept his political preferences private, hasn’t dodged speculation either. In past interviews, Trump hinted at Brady’s support, but the quarterback himself remains silent, focused on his family and career.