A poll of who NFL players support for president found that the league is split politically along racial lines.
According to a Bleacher Report straw poll of 43 NFL players released Wednesday, 21 of 21 white players surveyed plan to vote for Donald Trump, while only two out of the 22 African-American players asked plan to back the Republican nominee on Nov. 8.
The other 20 black players said they would vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Bleacher Report interviewed NFL insiders about how politics can affect locker rooms and found that, just like in the rest of the U.S., arguments can escalate and friendships can end over political discussions.
“Black guys will talk about it to each other,” said Damien Woody, an ESPN analyst and two-time Super Bowl winner with the New England Patriots. “White guys may talk about it to each other. But I think white players will tap around it with black players. The locker room normally isn’t politically correct. I know from talking to players things are different when it comes to Trump.”
The article detailed an example about two teammates whose friendship ended when one revealed he was a Trump supporter. “I can’t be friends with anyone who would vote for Donald Trump. I’m sorry,” the non-Trump supporter said when his teammate confronted him about their differences.
Most white players talked to Bleacher Report anonymously, except for Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Richie Incognito, who has been a vocal Trump supporter.
“I think that he can help this nation get back to a world superpower,” Incognito said. “Where I think he could help is putting us first again and having that — it’s my mentality, too — having that tough attitude where you put America first and everyone’s thinking we’re the greatest nation in the world. Don’t mess with America. That toughness is where I identify with him.”
Trump has received endorsements from a few sports figures, including Incognito’s coach, Rex Ryan, who introduced Trump at a rally earlier this year. That decision apparently did not sit well with some of his players.
“Some of the African-American players on the team weren’t happy about Rex doing that,” an anonymous black Bills player told Bleacher Report.
