Those who man the middle of the offensive line normally do not receive much attention. However, former Viking and Raven’s center Matt Birk is about to have a lot of attention come his way.
Birk, a 14-year NFL veteran and Harvard graduate, announced this week that he is running for Lieutenant Governor in Minnesota on the same ticket with Scott Jensen.
Together, Jensen and Birk hope to win the Republican nomination and unseat the current Democratic Governor Tim Walz.
Birk’s strong conservative credentials have already earned him the ire of Minnesota Democratic Party Chairman Ken Martin who has hailed Jensen’s selection of Birk as “doubling down on far-right extremism”
“Scott Jensen has selected a running mate who is as committed to the far-right fringe as he is,” Martin said. “Matt Birk has campaigned to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota, supports outlawing abortion, and is a vehement anti-vaxxer.”
Center Matt Birk #77 of the Baltimore Ravens looks on from the sidelines during the third quarter of the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)
As Pro Football Talk reports, “The 45-year-old Birk, a St. Paul native, was a sixth-round pick of the Vikings in 1998 from Harvard. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and the 2011 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year. He spent 11 seasons with the Vikings and four with the Ravens, winning a Super Bowl ring to cap his career.”
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