The NFL’s Political Donors

We pulled the data to find out which candidates—and which political causes—the NFL’s owners, players, coaches, staffers and commissioner are supporting financially this election cycle.

It’s Election Day, and despite millions of voters having already cast their ballots, it still feels like anything could happen. Since 2000, the prime-time nature of our electoral system seems to align with that of a Seahawks game—a scattershot, nonsensical series of occurrences often leading to an ending that vacillates between pleasantly surprising and downright horrifying depending on your viewpoint.

For heavy hitters donating money, though, the significant lifting has already been done. They have placed their bets over the past two years and thanks to our (somewhat, maybe, sort of) transparent donor-reporting process, we can see a picture of where most of the NFL’s power players opted to spend their capital heading into arguably the most consequential presidential election in modern times.

For this year’s version, we combed through both owner donations and also donations made by anyone listing an NFL team as their primary employer. We were curious whether, given the league’s political awakening, money would shift dramatically from favoring one party to another, whether players would become more politically active donors, and which owners would emerge as political power players heading into the 2020 election. NFL owners are inherently political creatures given the nature of various stadium deals and other large-scale projects that require high-level grease and red-tape-cutting to get done.

But this was also the summer of George Floyd and the year of COVID-19. Issues of such a transcendent nature aren’t politicized in a healthy society, but in today’s U.S. two sides of an irreparable political chasm formed. The NFL, when hamstrung by its politically motivated player base, upped the ante on raising awareness for social justice issues and racial inequality. They also, by the mere act of operating during the pandemic, requiring coaches to wear masks and holding out players who tested positive for the virus, were unassumingly making political statements. To say their donations would be looked at through a finer lens in this cycle would be putting it lightly.

If I can editorialize for a moment: While I did not expect the President’s rhetoric regarding the NFL and its players—a flashpoint device he has used several times on the campaign trail—to alter the political leanings of owners, the donations do shed a light on what the league has become. I would imagine that if a sitting president had criticized the developing league or its players back in the '40s, '50s, '60s or '70s, we would not see a windfall of donations headed to his cause, or to the causes of the political party he leads. But the current ownership landscape consists of a group of wealthy businesspeople whose NFL ownership is often secondary to other interests. Indeed, we saw one team owner donate nearly a million dollars to Republican causes this cycle. That is not surprising, and we’ll refrain from claiming whether that’s good or bad; we’re simply acknowledging how far we’ve come from the league’s us-versus-them beginnings.

All data was gathered from OpenSecrets’ Donor Lookup tool, and we looked only at donations made since the 2018 midterm elections. Here are a few interesting tidbits off the top:

• The league’s most prolific political donors were as follows: Falcons owner Arthur Blank ($1,177,744), Dolphins owner Stephen Ross ($673,450), Jets absentee owner (and current U.S. ambassador to Great Britain) Woody Johnson ($354,400), Browns owners Jimmy Haslam ($319,200) and Dee Haslam ($341,600), Buccaneers chairman and co-owner Edward Glazer ($254,000), Panthers owner David Tepper ($205,000), Bengals owner Mike Brown ($106,900), Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill ($91,499), Vikings owner Zygi Wilf ($58,900), Chargers owner Dean Spanos ($53,750) and Patriots owner Robert Kraft ($51,200).

• Only three of the owners who donated more than $25,000 gave the majority to Democratic causes, candidates or political action committees (Blank, Wilf and Kraft).

• Among all people listing an NFL team as their primary employer donating directly to either of the main presidential candidates, Joe Biden outraised Donald Trump by a slight margin: $30,762 to $26,287 (not including a $2,800 donation made to Biden by NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith). Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg and Cory Booker also received donations during Democratic primary season.

• One of the big winners in both large and small donations among NFL players, coaches, team staffers and owners was the WinRed PAC ($104,600 since the 2018 midterm elections). WinRed is the Republican counter to ActBlue, which facilitates grassroots online donors. (ActBlue received $840 from NFL donors.)

• Among the politicians who received a substantial boost from NFL owners via direct donations to the candidate or an associated PAC: Maine Sen. Susan Collins ($61,100), South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham ($27,400), Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst ($23,600) and Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell ($17,337).

Illustration by Cameron Chatt

• The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which raised $120,950 from NFL team players, owners and staffers, and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which brought in $165,800, were popular as well.

• Player participation was largely insignificant outside of one case: Raiders guard Richie Incognito donated a total of $27,999 to Republican causes, including $11,549 to Donald Trump, $8,400 to WinRed and $5,600 to Martha McSally, a senator from Arizona. Incognito donated more money this election cycle than 17 NFL owners.

• As far as the NFL and players association are concerned, Roger Goodell gave $5,400 to Rob Portman, a Republican junior Senator from Ohio, in a series of donations made in Dec. 2018. Jeff Pash, the league’s executive vice president and general council, donated $2,800 to Nancy Pelosi, Democratic representative from California and current speaker of the House, in September. And DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFLPA, donated $2,800 to Biden and $3,800 to the Democratic National Committee Services Corp. in September.

• In our list, we do not identify team staffers who we do not consider public figures—only owners, staff at the executive level, football operations staff, coaches and players are identified. For each owner, as well as for some high-profile staffers, players and coaches, we list some of their noteworthy partisan donations. Donations to the nonpartisan NFL and NFLPA PACs are included in our totals, but we did not list them in our highlighted donations.

Without further ado, here’s the list …

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ARIZONA CARDINALS

MICHAEL BIDWILL, OWNER
• $1,000 to Kyrsten Sinema, Democratic senator, Arizona, 04-26-2019
• $11,200 to Lindsey Graham, Republican senator, South Carolina, 05-07-2019
• $2,800 to Dan Sullivan, Republican senator, Alaska, 06-03-2019
• $5,600 to Joni Ernst, Republican senator, Iowa, over a series of donations between 08-02-2019 and 08-09-2019
• $14,400 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, 10-10-2019
• $5,600 to Martha McSally, Republican senator, Arizona, in a series of donations made 10-10-2019
• $5,000 to Great America Committee, a Political Action Committee registered to Vice President Mike Pence, pledging to “support candidates and elected officials who fight with President Trump in making America great again.”
• $5,500 to Susan Collins, Republican senator, Maine, 11-08-2019, 11-10-2019
• $1,000 to Scott Taylor, Republican congressional candidate in Virginia’s 2nd district, 11-13-2019
• $2,500 to Greg Stanton, Democratic U.S. Representative for Arizona’s 9th congressional district, 11-22-2019
• $10,000 to the Republican Party of Kentucky on 11-30-2019
• $5,600 to Mitch McConnell, Republican senator and House Majority Leader from Kentucky, in a series of donations made 12-05-2019
• $1,137 to the Bluegrass Committee, a PAC established by Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell that distributes funds to House and Senate Republicans, 12-18-2019
• $4,999 to the Bluegrass Committee in a series of donations made 12-18-2019
• $5,600 to John James, Republican senatorial candidate, Michigan, 3-13-2020
• $2,800 to Thom Tillis, Republican senator, North Carolina, 3-31-2020
Total donations: $91,499
Republican: $87,999
Democrat: $3,500

KLIFF KINGSBURY, HEAD COACH
• $500 to Jared Vanderdussen, Republican candidate for New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District (lost in a primary in June).

Others: People listing “Arizona Cardinals” as their primary employer also donated $1,000 to WinRed, an “American Republican Party fundraising platform endorsed by the Republican National Committee,” and $1,000 to Anna Paulina Luna, the Republican nominee for Florida's 13th Congressional district, 05-28-2020 (offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert).

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ATLANTA FALCONS

ARTHUR BLANK, OWNER
• $2,800 to Lynne Homrich, Republican candidate for Georgia’s 7th Congressional District (lost primary 6-9-2020). 7-02-19
• $1,000,000 to the Senate Majority PAC, a political action committee “Solely dedicated to building a Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate.”
• $4,391 to the Democratic Party of Vermont, 10-09-2020
• $2,800 to Robert Franklin, a Democratic congressional candidate running in Georgia’s 5th district, 10-09-2020
• $10,935 to the Democratic State Central Committee of Louisiana, 9-11-2020, 07-01-2020
• $10,000 to the Democratic State Central Committee of Maryland on, 7-01-2020, 9-11-2020
• $10,000 to the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, 9-09-2020
•$5,609 to the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, 07-01-2020
• $10,000 to the Democratic Party of Virginia, 07-01-2020
• $5,609 to the New York State Democratic Committee, 07-01-2020
• $10,000 to the Georgia Federal Elections Committee
• $10,000 to the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party, 07-01-2020
• $5,000 to the Home Depot PAC, a bipartisan organization, 12-06-2019
• $36,000 to DNC Services Corp (Democratic National Committee) in a series of donations made 12-20-2019, 7-01-2020.
• $20,000 to the Democratic Party of Montana, 06-02-2020
• $11,200 to Steve Bullock, two-term Democratic Governor of Montana running for Senate, 6-02-2020
• $8,400 to Joe Biden, Democratic candidate for President, 6-08-2020
Total donations: $1,777,744
Republican: $2,800
Democrat: $1,154,944

Others: People listing Atlanta Falcons as their primary employers donated a total of $11,200 to Dave Lindstrom, a Republican senatorial candidate from Kansas and former Chiefs defensive lineman who finished fourth in the primaries (offensive lineman Chris Lindstrom, Dave Lindstrom’s nephew). Also, $250 to Nabilah Islam, Democratic congressional candidate for Georgia’s 7th district, $5,000 to David Perdue, Republican senator from Georgia, and an additional $1,250 to Lynne Homrich, Republican candidate for Georgia’s 7th Congressional District.

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BALTIMORE RAVENS

Owner Stephen Bisciotti had no donations listed, dating back to 2016.

Others: People listing “Baltimore Ravens” as their primary employer donated $3,500 to Dutch Ruppersberger, a Democratic congressman from the 2nd district of Maryland, $500 to WinRed PAC, an “American Republican Party fundraising platform endorsed by the Republican National Committee,” $1,000 to the Abolitionists PAC, a Democratic/Liberal Political Action Committee, $1,000 to The Action PAC, a Political Action Committee “building an unstoppable political organizing force to combat the rising tide of racism and bigotry in this country.” $2,000 to the Republican National Committee (defensive line coach Joe Cullen). Also, $1,000 to Anthony Brown, U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 4th congressional district, $1,000 to Elijah Cummings, longtime Democratic representative from Maryland’s 7th congressional district (team president Dick Cass).

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BUFFALO BILLS

Neither Kim Pegula, Terry Pegula nor anyone listing “Buffalo Bills” as their primary employer made any non-NFLPA PAC related donations, dating back to 2018.

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CAROLINA PANTHERS

DAVID TEPPER, OWNER
• $200,000 to the American Unity PAC, a “federal super Political Action Committee dedicated to protecting and promoting Republicans who support LGBT freedom.”

Others: No one listing “Carolina Panthers” as their primary employer made any non-NFLPA PAC related donations since 2018

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CHICAGO BEARS

Owners George and Virginia McCaskey are not listed as having made any donations to non-NFL PACs since 2016.

Others: People listing “Chicago Bears” as their primary employer donated $1,250 to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden (offensive tackle Bobby Massie).

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CINCINNATI BENGALS

MIKE BROWN, OWNER
• $2,700 to Steve Chabot, Republican congressman from OH1, 01-17-2019
• $11,200 to Lindsey Graham, Republican senator from South Carolina in a series of donations made 03-08-2019 and 05-28-20
• $5,300 to Brad Wenstrup, Republican representative from OH2, in a series of donations made 03-31-2019
• $5,600 to Donald Trump in a series of donations made 08-09-2019
• $2,800 to Rob Portman, Republican senator from Ohio, 12-12-2019
• $25,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a “Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to the Senate” on 1-28-2020
Total donations: $106,900
Republican: $96,900
Democratic: $0

Others: No one listing “Cincinnati Bengals” as their primary employer made any non-NFL or non-NFLPA PAC donations since 2018

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CLEVELAND BROWNS

JIMMY HASLAM, OWNER
• $5,000 to the Jobs, Opportunity and New Ideas PAC, a political action committee associated with Joni Ernst, a Republican senator from Iowa
• $5,600 to Mitch McConnell, a Republican senator from Kentucky and the Senator Majority Leader, in a series of donations made 03-06-2019
• $70,500 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, in a series of donations made 05-02-2019, 1-31-2020
• $2,800 to Rob Portman, a Republican senator from Ohio, 1-10-2020
• $2,800 to Kendra Horn, a Democratic congresswoman from Oklahoma, 6-2-2020
• $5,200 to Joni Ernst, Republican Senator from Iowa, 4-19-2019
• $5,600 to Susan Collins, Republican Senator from Maine, 05-31-2019
• $5,600 to Steve Scalise, Republican U.S. representative from Louisiana’s 1st congressional district and House Minority Whip, in a series of donations made 05-29-2019
• $5,000 to the Eye of the Tiger PAC, a political action committee affiliated with Steve Scalise, a republican representative from Louisiana’s 1st district
• $5,000 to the Jobs, Opportunities and New Ideas PAC, a political action committee affiliated with Joni Ernst, a Republican senator from Iowa
• $42,200 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, 3-13-2020
• $5,600 to John Cornyn, Republican Senator from Texas, in a series of donations made on 11-06-2019
• $5,600 to Anthony Gonzalez, Republican U.S. Representative from Ohio’s 16th district, in a series of donations made 09-30-2019
• $2,500 to Liz Cheney, Republican U.S. Representative from Wyoming’s At-large district, 09-12-2019
• $2,800 to Dan Sullivan, Republican Senator from Alaska, 11-06-2019
• $2,800 to Todd Young, Republican Senator, Indiana, 12-31-2019
• $5,600 to Martha McSally, Republican Senator, Arizona, in a series of donations on 03-09-2020
• $5,000 to the Majority Committee PAC, a Republican-led political action committee that has raised nearly $5 million in 2020 in an effort to elect House republicans, 3-13-2020
• $2,800 to Kevin McCarthy, Republican U.S. Representative and House Minority Leader from California’s 23rd district
• $100,000 to the Senate Leadership Fund, a political action committee with “One goal: to protect and expand the Republican Senate Majority when Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Chuck Schumer, together with their army of left-wing activists, try to take it back in 2020.”
• $11,200 to David Perdue, Republican Senator, Georgia, in a series of donations made 06-04-2020
• $10,000 to the Republican Party of Ohio
Total donations: $319,200
Republican: $301,400
Democrat: $2,800

Others: People listing “Cleveland Browns” as their primary employer, mostly those with connections to Haslam, made several large donations, including $71,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (Executive Vice President James Wood Johnson III), $50,000 to the 1820 PAC, which has had a large hand in the efforts to reelect Maine senator Susan Collins (Dee Haslam), $200,000 in a series of donations to the Senate Leadership Fund (Dee Haslam).

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DALLAS COWBOYS

JERRY JONES, OWNER
• $5,000 to Colin Allred, a Democratic representative from Texas’ 32nd congressional district

STEPHEN JONES, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CEO AND DIRECTOR OF PLAYER PERSONNEL
• $5,600 to John Cornyn, Republican senator from Texas, 5-22-2020

Others: No one else listing Dallas Cowboys as their primary employer made any non-NFLPA PAC related donations since 2018

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DENVER BRONCOS

JOE ELLIS, PRESIDENT AND CEO
• $2,500 to Cory Gardner, Republican senator, Colorado, in a series of donations on 6-30-2020

JOHN ELWAY, GENERAL MANAGER
• $13,700 to Cory Gardner, Republican senator, Colorado, in a series of donations between 09-30-2019 and 06-21-2020
• $5,000 to Donald Trump in a series of donations made 10-16-2019
• $6,600 to WinRed, “an American Republican Party fundraising platform endorsed by the Republican National Committee. It was launched to compete with the Democratic Party's success in online grassroots fundraising with their platform ActBlue,” in a series of donations made between 4-20-2020 and 06-20-2020.
• $2,000 to Tim Scott, Republican senator from South Carolina, in a series of donations made 06-21-2020.
• $2,800 to Jim Jordan, Republican U.S. representative from Ohio’s fourth district, 7-30-2020
Total donations: $36,100
Republican: $21,700
Democratic: $0

Others: People listing “Denver Broncos” as their primary employer also donated $500 to Mark Ronchetti, a Repulbican senatorial candidate from New Mexico. Also $213 to Donald Trump (quarterbacks coach Mike Shula).

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DETROIT LIONS

People listing “Detroit Lions” as their primary employer donated $2,000 to Thom Tillis, Republican U.S. Senator from North Carolina (vice chairperson Martha Ford Morse. Also, $2,800 to Marilyn Strickland, the former Mayor of Tacoma, Washington, who is the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in Washington’s 10th congressional district.

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GREEN BAY PACKERS

One person listing “Green Bay Packers” as their primary employer donated directly to a candidate or PAC, $5,600 to Sara Hart Weir, who lost the Republican primary for Kansas’s 3rd congressional district in August.

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HOUSTON TEXANS

ROBERT C. MCNAIR, FORMER OWNER (DECEASED)
• $10,000 to the Republican party of Harris County, 6-28-2019

JANICE MCNAIR, OWNER AND FRANCHISE CO-FOUNDER
• $10,000 to the Republican party of Harris County, 6-28-2019
• $10,000 to the Opportunity Matters Fund, a Conservative Super PAC, 6-28-2019

CAL MCNAIR, CHAIRMAN AND CEO
• $2,800 to Pierce Bush, a Republican candidate for Texas’ 22nd congressional district, 1-23-2020

Others: One other person listing “Houston Texans” as their primary employer donated directly to a candidate or PAC, $2,800 to Keeda Haynes, a Democrat running for Tennessee’s 5th congressional district (wide receiver Kenny Stills).

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INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

JIM IRSAY, OWNER
• $10,000 to Team Holcomb, a PAC benefitting Republican Indiana governor Eric Holcomb, 12-21-2018
• $5,000 to the Indiana Republican Senate Committee, 12-21-2018
Total donations: $15,000

Others: Only one other person listing “Indianapolis Colts” as their primary employer donated directly to a candidate or PAC, $3,000 to Michael Blake, a Democratic Assemblyman from New York’s 79th district (linebacker Anthony Walker).

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JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

One person listing “Jacksonville Jaguars” as their primary employer donated directly to a candidate or PAC, $1,000 to the Republican National Committee (former Jaguars offensive coordinator and current Bears QB coach John DeFillipo, 5-22-2020).

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KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

CLARK HUNT, PART OWNER, CHAIRMAN AND CEO
• $5,600 to John Cornyn, Republican senator from Texas, 06-30-20
• $2,800 to Dave Lindstrom, Republican senatorial candidate from Kansas (and former Chiefs defensive lineman), 11-25-2019
• $5,400 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, 07-22-2019
• $2,800 to Genevieve Collins, the Republican nominee for Texas’s 32nd congressional district, 10-05-2020
• $2,800 to Republican U.S. Senator from Iowa Joni Ernst, 08-05-2020
Total donations: $34,400
Republican: $19,400
Democratic: $0

Others: Political donations made by people listing “Kansas City Chiefs” as their primary employer included a $500 player donation to WinRed, “an American Republican Party fundraising platform endorsed by the Republican National Committee. It was launched to compete with the Democratic Party's success in online grassroots fundraising with their platform ActBlue” across a series of donations on 1-29-2020 and 05-22-2020, $250 to Steve Scalise on 05-22-20, the House Minority Whip and Republican congressman from Louisiana’s 1st congressional district and $250 to the National Republican Congressional Committee on 01-29-2020 (former Chiefs punter and current Steelers punter Dustin Colquitt). Also, $1,000 to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden (analytics coordinator Michael Frazier).

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Illustration by Cameron Chatt

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LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

MARC BADAIN, PRESIDENT
• $2,800 to Joe Biden, then competing in the Democratic presidential primary, on 05-01-2019

RICHIE INCOGNITO, OFFENSIVE LINEMAN
• $11,549 to Donald Trump over a series of donations made on 05-01-2020 and 06-02-2020
• $8,400 to WinRed, “an American Republican Party fundraising platform endorsed by the Republican National Committee. It was launched to compete with the Democratic Party's success in online grassroots fundraising with their platform ActBlue” in a series of donations made 05-01-2020 and 06-02-2020
• $1,750 to the Republican National Committee in a series of donations made on 05-01-2020 and 06-02-2020
• $5,600 to Martha McSally, Republican senator from Arizona, in a series of donations made on 04-29-2020
Total donations: $27,999

Others: People listing “Oakland Raiders” or “Las Vegas Raiders” as their primary employer made political donations of $2,800 to Wayne Messam, the Democratic Mayor of Miramar who had formed an exploratory committee to run for President, Florida, 03-28-2019. Also, $500 to Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator from California, then a candidate in the Democratic presidential primary and now the Democratic party’s vice presidential nominee, on 01-21-2019 (former defensive lineman Frostee Rucker).

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LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

DEAN SPANOS, OWNER
• $10,000 to the Majority Committee Political Action Committee, a Republican fundraising PAC that has raised nearly $5 million this election cycle, in a series of donations made 03-28-2019 and 02-26-2020
• $21,900 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, 03-28-2019, 02-26-2020
• $5,600 to Kevin McCarthy, House Minority Leader and Republican congressman from California’s 23rd district
• $250 to Bob Elliott, a Republican member of the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. House of Representatives (CA-10) on March 3, 2020, 06-17-2019
• $5,600 to Michelle Steele, a Republican candidate for the House of Representatives (CA-48), 06-19-2019
• $250 to Jerry McNerney, a Democratic representative from CA-10, 06-19-2019
• $250 to Marla Livengood, a Republican congressional candidate who lost in the primary on March 3, 2020, 06-30-2019
• $500 to Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican New York State assemblywoman and candidate for New York’s 11th congressional district
• $1,000 to Ted Howze, a Republican candidate for US Representative, CA-10, on 12-30-2019
• $5,600 to Margaret Streicker, a Republican congressional candidate in Connecticut’s 3rd district, on 05-19-2020
• $5,600 to WinRed
Total donations: $127,150
Republican: $116,900
Democrat: $250

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LOS ANGELES RAMS

KEVIN DEMOFF, COO
• $2,000 to Pete Buttigieg, former Democratic presidential nominee and mayor of South Bend, Ind.
• $2,000 to Mark Warner, Democratic U.S. Senator from Virginia, 09-30-2020

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MIAMI DOLPHINS

STEPHEN M. ROSS, OWNER
• $104,600 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee in a series of donations made 05-15-2020, 06-19-2019
• $87,600 to South Florida Residents First, a single-candidate super PAC in support of Carlos Gimenez, the Republican Mayor of Miami-Dade County and a current candidate for US Representative (FLA-26) in a series of donations made 03-21-2020 and 04-15-2020.
• $5,600 to Carlos Gimenez, the Republican Mayor of Miami-Dade County and a current candidate for US Representative (FLA-26) in a series of donations made 04-01-2020.
• $5,600 to Gary Peters, Democratic Senator from Michigan, in a series of donations made 10-07-2019
• $1,900 to the Republican Party of Texas, 08-06-2019
• $600 to John Cornyn, Republican senator from Texas, 08-02-2019
• $2,200 to the Having Unwavering Resolve and Determination PAC, a political action committee associated with William Hurd, a Republican U.S. Representative from TX-23, 06-30-2019
• $2,600 to The Madison PAC, a political action committee associated with Democratic congressman Richard Neal (MA-2), 06-30-2019
• $2,800 to William Hurd, a Republican U.S. Representative from TX-23, 06-30-2019
• $300,000 to the Republican National Committee, in a series of donations 06-20-2019
• $5,600 to Richard Neal, a Democratic congressman (MA-2), 06-19-2019
• $2,500 to the Reclaim America PAC, a political action committee associated with Republican Florida senator Marco Rubio, 5-29-2019
• $5,000 to the Fund for America’s Future, a PAC established by South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham, 05-23-2019, 03-29-2019
• $10,000 to the Democratic Party of Virginia on 05-15-2019
• $1,000 to Nicole Malliotakis, Republican New York State assemblywoman and candidate for New York’s 11th congressional district, on 05-15-2019
• $5,000 to Forward Together PAC, a political action committee associated with Democratic Virginia senator Mark Warner, on 05-14-2019
• $5,600 to Mark Warner, a Democratic senator from Virginia, on 05-14-2019
• $1,000 to Together Holding Our Majority PAC, on 03-25-2019
• $2,500 to Promoting Our Republican Team PAC on 03-25-2019
• $5,600 to Lois J Frankel, a Democratic US Representative from FLA-21, on 03-15-2019
• $5,000 to the BlueGrass Committee, a political action committee associated with Republican Senator Mitch McConnell on 12-31-2018
• $100,000 to the Republican National Committee on 11-08-2018
Total donations: $673,450
Republican: $618,450
Democrat: $45,000

Others: People listing “Miami Dolphins” as their primary employer made political donations including $2,800 to Mondaire Jones, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives (NY-17) (defensive back Johnson Bademosi) and $1,000 to Joe Biden, Democratic nominee for President (director of personnel analytics Eugene Shen).

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MINNESOTA VIKINGS

ZYGI WILF, OWNER
• $8,400 to Amy Klobuchar, Democratic U.S. Senator from Minnesota and then-candidate in the Democratic presidential primary, in a series of donations made 03-18-2019
• $35,550 to DNC Services Corp in a series of donations on 06-03-2020, 09-25-2020
• $5,600 to Joe Biden, Democratic candidate for President, 06-03-2020
• $5,000 to Follow the North Star Fund, a political action committee affiliated with Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota), 07-20-2020
Total donations: $58,900
Republican: $0
Democrat: $48,900

Others: donations made by people listing the Minnesota Vikings as their primary employer include $2,000 to Amy Klobuchar in a series of donations made by multiple employees between 03-03-2019 and 03-19-2019.

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NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

ROBERT KRAFT, OWNER
• $2,800 to Joe Kennedy III, Democratic U.S. representative (MA-4) and former candidate for Senate in the Democratic primary, 06-08-2020
• $15,000 to Experienced Leadership Matters PAC, a single-candidate super PAC in support of Jake Auchincloss, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative (MA-4), in a series of donations made 06-01-2020 and 06-02-2020
• $2,800 to Ritchie Torres, Democratic New York City councilman and nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives, 08-19-2020
• $5,600 to Ted Deutch, Democratic U.S. Representative (FL-22), 08-19-2020
• $10,000 to American Working Families, a Super PAC for Democratic Congressman Richard E. Neal (MA-1), 08-17-2020
Total donations: $51,200
Republican: 0
Democrat: $36,200

JOSHUA KRAFT, PRESIDENT OF NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS FOUNDATION
• $1,000 to Katherine Clark, Democratic U.S. Representative (MA-4) on 04-18-2019
• $1,500 to Robert E. Latta, a Republican U.S. Representative (OH-5) on 11-21-2019

Others: Two other people listing “New England Patriots” as their primary employer. Defensive backs and twin brothers Jason and Devin McCourty, made political donations between 2018 and 2020. Both donated $8,400 to Mondaire Jones, the Democratic nominee for New York’s 17th congressional district. Jason also donated $280 to ActBlue, “a nonprofit technology organization established in June 2004 that enables left-leaning nonprofits, Democratic candidates, and progressive groups to raise money from individual donors.”

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NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

RITA BENSON LEBLANC, FORMER VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
• $2,800 to Donald Trump, 05-29-2019

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NEW YORK GIANTS

STEVE TISCH, CO-OWNER
• $560 to ActBlue, “a nonprofit technology organization established in June 2004 that enables left-leaning nonprofits, Democratic candidates, and progressive groups to raise money from individual donors,” 04-24-2019.
• $2,800 to Pete Buttigieg, Democratic presidential candidate and former mayor of South Bend, Ind., 04-24-2019
• $2,800 to Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic U.S. Representative (NY-8), 06-24-2020
• $11,200 to Cory Booker, Democratic New Jersey senator and former Democratic presidential candidate, in a series of donations made 06-24-2020
Total donations: $22,360
Republican: $0
Democrat: $17,360

Others: Other people listing “New York Giants” as their primary employer donated to a non NFL/PA PAC or Candidate, $500 to each of Democratic nominees for Senate Amy McGrath of Kentucky, Jamie Harrison of South Carolina and Doug Jones of Alabama (assistant defensive backs coach Anthony Blevins). $2,800 to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden (senior VP and general counsel Bill Heller). Also, $500 to Cory Booker.

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Illustration by Cameron Chatt

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NEW YORK JETS

ROBERT “WOODY” JOHNSON, OWNER (CURRENTLY SERVING AS U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.K.
• $354,400 to the Republican National Committee in a series of donations made on 05-02-2019

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PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

CHRISTINA WEISS LURIE, MINORITY OWNER
• $1,000 to Ed Markey, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, 06-30-2020
• $1,000 to Joe Kennedy III, Democratic U.S. representative (MA-4) and former candidate for Senate in the Democratic primary, 06-30-2020
• $2,800 to Joe Biden, Democratic nominee for President, 06-02-2020
• $1,000 to The People PAC, “a creative force using modern storytelling and social media savvy to protect and advance American democracy,” in a series of donations made 04-27-2020
• $1,000 to Mark Warner, Democratic U.S. senator from Virginia, 09-30-2019
• $3,500 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, 08-10-2019
• $1,000 to Ed Markey, Democratic US senator from Massachusetts, 08-04-2019
• $2,800 to Kamala Harris, Democratic U.S. senator from California, former Democratic presidential primary candidate and current Democratic vice presidential nominee, 08-01-2019
• $5,600 to Democratic Services Corp (DNC), 10-05-2020
• $1,000 to Raphael Warnock, Democratic nominee for Senate (GA), in a pair of donations 08-24-2020
Total donations: $31,300
Republican: $0
Democrat: $26,300

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PITTSBURGH STEELERS

ART ROONEY II, OWNER
• $7,800 to Joe Biden, Democratic nominee for President, 12-17-2019 and 09-21-2020
• $4,000 to Conor Lamb, Democratic U.S. Representative (PA-17), 12-03-2019 and 10-07-2020
• $22,200 to Democtraic National Committee Services Corp., 09-21-2020
Total donations: $49,000
Republican: $0
Democrat: $34,000

Others: Several Steelers employees also contributed $22,100 to the North Side Good Government Committee, a bipartisan PAC that, in the 2020 cycle contributed $1,000 to Mike Doyle, Democratic U.S. Representative for PA-18. In the past, the PAC has provided money to candidates from both parties. $7,200 to the North Side Good Government Committee (general manager Kevin Colbert). Also, $2,800 to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden (offensive assistant Matt Symmes).

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SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

JED YORK, CEO AND DE FACTO FRANCHISE OWNER
• $2,800 to Tim Ryan, Democratic U.S. Representative for OH-13, 06-30-2020
• $1,000 to Kamala Harris, Democratic U.S. senator from California, former Democratic presidential primary candidate and current Democratic vice presidential nominee, 03-19-2019
Total donations: $3,800
Republican: $0
Democrat: $3,800

DENISE DEBARTOLO YORK, OWNER
• $5,500 in a series of donations to Tim Ryan, Democratic U.S. Representative for OH-13, 06-17-2019, 02-13-2020
Total donations: $5,500
Republican: $0
Democrat: $5,500

Others: People listing “San Francisco 49ers” as their primary employer made donations to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee ($1,000, manager of football systems Steve Wagner), Joe Biden ($1,000, Wagner) and Bernie Sanders ($1,458). Also, $1,500 to Biden (VP and chief strategy officer Moon Javaid). $7,000 to numerous Democratic candidates running for Congress across the U.S.

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SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

No one listing “Seattle Seahawks” as their primary employer made a donation to a non NFL/PA PAC or candidate since 2018.

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TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

EDWARD GLAZER, CO-CHAIRMAN
• $5,600 to Donald Trump in a series of donations made 06-06-2020
• $85,000 to WinRed, a Republican-focused political action committee, on 04-18-2020 and 06-06-2020
• $35,500 to the Republican National Committee
Total donations: $254,540

DARCIE GLAZER KASSEWITZ, OWNER/PRESIDENT OF THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS FOUNDATION
• $11,200 to Charlie Crist, Democratic U.S. Representative (FLA-13), in a series of donations made 10-08-2019

BRYAN GLAZER, OWNER AND CO-CHAIRMAN
• $11,200 to Charlie Crist, Democratic U.S. Representative (FLA-13), in a series of donations made 08-19-2019

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TENNESSEE TITANS

KENNETH ADAMS IV, GRANDSON OF TITANS FOUNDER BUD ADAMS
• $2,000 to Bill Hagerty, Republican senatorial candidate from Tennessee, 05-12-2020

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WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM

STEPHEN CHOI, CFO
•$5,000 to Eleanor Holmes Norton, Democratic non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, District of Columbia, 06-03-2019