Every year, Republicans and Democrats team up to take on the Capitol Police in a the Congressional Football Game, and every year the lawmakers lose in a blowout.
This year’s game was no different, but it provided lawmakers of both parties a respite from the partisanship roiling Capitol Hill amidst the ongoing partial government shutdown. The lawmakers on team Mean Machine lost to the Guards team by a decisive 32-12, but both teams were not without their stars.
For the lawmakers, their most famous player was certainly Ryan Fitzpatrick, a longtime NFL quarterback who ended his distinguished career by playing with the Washington Football Team in 2021. Fitzpatrick’s final season was part of why he was eager to take to the field at Nationals Park.
“They asked me if I could come out and play, and I thought, since I only gave the Commanders 15 plays, I probably owe it to the community to come out and play a little more out here,” he explained.
But “Fitzmagic” was not alone on the Mean Machine when it came to making solid plays in the ultimately doomed effort. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R., Mich.) fought through multiple defenders to make the final catch of the game, and Reps. Jay Obernolte (R., Calif.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R., Iowa), Jimmy Panetta (D., Calif.), and Michael Baumgartner (R., Wash.) all had big moments on and off the field, as did former Rep. Bob Dold (R., Ill.).
Rep. Mark Messmer (R., Ind.) had arguably the best on-field performance of any lawmaker, and it came before the game even started, when he played the National Anthem on his trumpet.
“I had a really fun time playing in the Congressional football game this week at the Washington Nationals stadium,” Baumgartner told the Washington Reporter following the game. “Members [of both parties] were joined by some ex-NFL players to go up against a team of U.S. Capitol police, who were all former college players.”
“I’ve gotten to be pretty good friends with Jimmy Panetta who is a good guy and was our team captain.” But Baumgartner was honest in assessing his team’s shortcomings. Fitzpatrick, he said, “kind of sucked, throwing two interceptions and a pick-six.”
While Fitzpatrick did show some rust during the game, that didn’t stop fans from mobbing him for autographs afterwards as White Ford Bronco played the afterparty.
The Congressional Football Game is a D.C. tradition that honors Capitol Police officers Jacob “JJ” Chestnut and John Gibson, were killed in the line of duty protecting Members of Congress, Congressional staff, and visitors from a lone gunman in 1998. Since the game started in 2004, it has raised almost $5 million to charities.
