Football and politics mix on election day

<p>While the polls were closing Tuesday, Georgia's football team headed to the field for an evening practice.</p><p>Still, several players managed to keep an eye on the election.</p><p>Fullback Jeremy Thomas and center Russ Tanner were up front about their support for President Bush _ and they backed up their words by casting ballots.</p><p>Tanner, a native of Wrightsville, voted a couple of weeks ago via absentee ballot. Thomas went home to Loganville last week to get in an early ballot.</p><p>"I think a lot of the country boys tend to vote Republican," Thomas said.</p><p>There also was support for John Kerry in the Bulldog ranks.</p><p>Cornerback DeMario Minter said he was pulling for the Democrat, though he sheepishly admitted that he's not registered to vote.</p><p>"I don't know which way the vote's going to go, but hopefully Kerry will win," Minter said.</p><p>Coach Mark Richt didn't discuss his political preference, but he did show up at his weekly news conference wearing a sticker that said, "I'm a Georgia voter."</p><p>While the locker-room talk usually centers around plays rather than politics, there were some exceptions in the days leading up to one of the most closely watched elections in American history.</p><p>Minter and Thomas recalled one especially heated discussion that included several other teammates from both sides of the political spectrum. Among the topics: the war in Iraq, gay marriage and abortion.</p><p>"For 15 minutes, we were all screaming at the top of our lungs," Minter said.</p><p>Thomas said he's become more interested in politics since he came to Georgia, standing up for his conservative views even when he's outnumbered.</p><p>"I'm an English major, and the English department is very liberal," he said. "When I'm in those classes, it's me against the world. But it's good to hear other views."</p><p>Of course, a football team isn't much different from the general public _ there were some players who didn't pay much attention to the election.</p><p>"I'm one of those big guys," defensive lineman Kedric Golston said. "We're more worried about what we're going to eat for dinner that what's going on in politics. I don't think about that stuff."</p><p>Golston said he's not registered in Athens and didn't bother filling out an absentee ballot.</p><p>"We're kind of like ground hog day," he said. "It seems like we're in such a routine and so focused, we just don't think about anything else but football and school. Afterward, we'll probably look back and see there's a whole other world out there."</p><p>Thomas was glad to hear that some of his left-leaning teammates had passed up the ballot box.</p><p>"Their vote doesn't count if they don't vote," he said. "If they were going to vote for Kerry, good."</p>

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/11/157528