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Josh Weinfuss
Tempe, Arizona – The former NFL botter, Jay Feely, leaves the diffusion stand after a decade and enters the political arena.
Feely declared Tuesday in ESPN that he would appear to the House of American Representatives of the 5th district of the Arizona Congress in the mid-term elections of 2026. He officially filed a declaration of interest to the Secretary of State of Arizona on Tuesday on Tuesday, which is necessary before a candidate can start collecting signatures to climb the ballot. Feely made a public announcement later Tuesday afternoon.
“I am enthusiastic about this next chapter in my life,” Feely told Espn. “I think that I think God calls me to put me into service, and that is really what I think it is, it is the public service. I do not think that we have enough politicians who enter a political function not for selfish measures and who enter a political function and do not want it to be a career, and that is what I think.
“I think it’s really a public service.”
Feely, 48, met Republicans of the Congress in Washington, DC, about a month ago so that his wife, Rebecca, could have a better idea of what life would be with him as a politician. When she was on board with Jay in progress, he signed up for his decision.
Feely said he felt obliged to show up for a public service after the July attempted assassination on President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania. Feely also said Trump and Representative Jim Jordan asked him to go to the congress in 2022, but Feely still had children in high school. This time, however, he and his wife will be empty nest workers at the start of the electoral cycle.
FEELY – who presents himself for a seat released by representative Andy Biggs, who recently announced his candidacy for the Governor of Arizona in 2026 – said that his platform would be focused on securing the southern border and the economy.
I am so grateful for my 10 years to @Cbssports
They took a chance on a botter and allowed me to be in the stand to call the NFL games
(Only the 2nd K to do that after the legendary Pat Summerall)
I appreciated every minute and the people I worked with I miss the most– Jay EPEY (@jayfely) April 22, 2025
Feely has spent the last 10 seasons broadcasting NFL matches for CBS after a 14 -year NFL career during which he launched seven teams, including the Arizona Cardinals from 2010 to 2013. He retired after spending the 2014 season with the Chicago Bears.
Feely said her NFL career had prepared him for a race in the public service in three ways.
He was representative of the players of the NFL players’ association and spent time on the union’s executive committee, on which he said he was fighting for the rights of insurance players. Feely also quoted the pressure of being an NFL botter as another trait that would help him at Congress. And he declared that spending a decade to broadcasting games has helped his ability to speak publicly and communicate.
“And I think it is one of your greatest jobs as a member of the Congress is to be able to communicate with your voters, to be able to talk about the problems of the day and why you believe the way you believe and to be able to do it in a way that people can understand it,” he said.
Feely believes that his name recognition will help his candidacy, as well as the time he said that he and Rebecca had spent working in the community.
Throughout the last football season, Feely said he felt a void while he was broadcasting matches across the country and found himself realizing that the challenge of preparing to call them was not as attractive as it was. He did not have the same goal he had earlier in his television career, said Feely.
“I felt that there was a call to something bigger and that there was a different platform that I wanted to try to use to have a positive impact on people,” said Feely.
“I have always been involved in politics and I have produced many different events for different politicians, local and national, and I have always loved thinking about political problems and talking about political problems, so it’s not new, but leaving the dissemination after working so hard to arrive where I was and to withdraw, and say that I think there is a bigger call, yes, it was different for me.”
