But that’s not to say he’s not involved. “[Florida Gov. Charlie] Crist just put me on the task force for autism,” said Marino, who has an autistic son. “We’ve got a whole year to dig up stuff and see if we can make a difference in Florida.” (So if John McCain names Crist his running mate, could Marino end up on a national task force? We can only hope.)

Others were equally circumspect. When we asked Redskins wide receiver James Thrash whether there’s an increase in political talk in the locker room these days, he said players do talk a “little bit,” but a coach once advised him, “If you talk about politics or money, you’re going to get in an argument.”

Warrick Dunn, the Falcons’ Pro Bowl running back, said, “I’m sure we all have opinions. I’m just going to vote for myguy.” (And no, he didn’t say who his guy was.)

The Vikings’ Adrian Peterson, the record holder for rushing yards in a game, simply took the path of discretion, telling us, “I try to stay away from that.”

Not so Matt Stover, the kicker for the Baltimore Ravens. “We always get into tussles in the locker room,” he admitted. “I’m a Republican, I’m from Texas, so I love George W. Bush.”

A locker room, he said, “is kind of a microcosm of the United States,” in terms of the variety of racial, geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds of the players. “It’s an opportunity to get to know and understand” other people’s perspectives, he said. “It works. We have one goal, to rally and win. And that’s what I want our country to do.” (Sounds as if he should run for office one day.)

He even knows how to flatter his audience: He called Redskins fans “classy,” and said they impress him among the most of any fans, both in their numbers and “in terms of what they’re willing to pay.”