It’s probably safe to call this a first: A former NFL player is running against one of his former team doctors for Congress.
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Republican Jay Feely was a kicker for the New York Jets in 2008 and 2009 at the same time Democrat Amish Shah was a sideline physician for the team.
After wins in this week’s primary elections, the pair will face off in a race for Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, which is based in the affluent Scottsdale area.
It’s a crucial contest — an open seat that had been held by a Republican but that Cook Political Report rates as a toss-up. The winner will help determine the balance of power in the House of Representatives.
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Feely kicked a game-winning field goal in overtime against the New England Patriots near the end of the 2008 season, but the Jets lost their next two to finish 9-7 and didn’t make the playoffs. A little over a year later, he signed with the Arizona Cardinals.
Shah worked with the Jets from 2008 to 2013, serving on the sidelines during home games as an “airway management physician,” according to his campaign. That meant he would have ensured a player could breathe during emergency situations such as a spinal cord injury — a trauma Feely never had to endure.
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