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Reps who voted for President Donald Trump's 2nd impeachment include former Ohio State, Colts WR Anthony Gonzalez

Sam Cooper
·College football writer
·3-min read

Former Ohio State football star Anthony Gonzalez is among the handful of Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday.

President Trump was impeached for the second time by the U.S. House of Representatives and charged with “incitement of insurrection” in the aftermath of the siege on the Capitol by pro-Trump loyalists that took place on Jan. 6.

Gonzalez, a U.S. Representative for Ohio’s 16th congressional district, voted yes to impeach the president, saying in a statement that Trump “helped organize and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress in an attempt to prevent us from completing our solemn duties as prescribed by the Constitution.”

Gonzalez was one of 10 Republicans to side with Democrats, who voted to impeach Trump for a historic second time. Gonzalez said the events at the Capitol left “our democracy shaken.”

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“The Vice President and both chambers of Congress had their lives put in grave danger as a result of the President’s actions in the events leading up to and on Jan. 6,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “During the attack itself, the President abandoned his post while many members asked for help, thus further endangering all present. These are fundamental threats not just to people’s lives but to the very foundation of our Republic.

“When I consider the full scope of events leading up to Jan. 6, including the President’s lack of response as the United States Capitol was under attack, I am compelled to support impeachment.”

The final margin of the impeachment vote was 232 to 197.

Anthony Gonzalez the football player

Before embarking on a career in politics, Gonzalez was a star wide receiver for Ohio State who went on to spend five seasons playing for the Indianapolis Colts. At Ohio State, Gonzalez caught 87 passes for 1,286 yards and 13 touchdowns between 2004 and 2006.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020, file photo, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, R-Ohio, speaks during a Senate Commerce subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on intercollegiate athlete compensation. Federal legislation setting guidelines for college athletes to pursue money-making opportunities could be proposed within a month, and Gonzalez, who is planning to introduce it, said Thursday, June 4, 2020, there will be no blanket antitrust exemption for the NCAA. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
Rep. Anthony Gonzalez, a former standout wide receiver for Ohio State and the Indianapolis Colts, was one of just 10 Republicans to vote to impeach President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

In 2006, he teamed up with Ted Ginn Jr. to make up one of the top pass-catching duos in the country. Gonzalez finished the year with 51 catches for 734 yards and eight touchdowns, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. That OSU team went undefeated during the regular season and won the Big Ten before losing to Florida in the BCS national championship game.

From there, Gonzalez was selected No. 32 overall in the 2007 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Gonzalez combined for 94 catches, 1,240 yards and seven touchdowns over his first two seasons with the Colts. The rest of his career was plagued by injuries. He caught five passes the rest of his career and retired from football in 2012.

In 2018, Gonzalez entered the political fray, running as a Republican for a spot in the U.S. House. Gonzalez won the election and became the first Latino to represent Ohio in Congress.

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