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President Donald Trump got honest about his high school football career during an appearance inside the Fox Sports broadcast booth — but he refused to take all of the blame. Trump, 79, was interviewed by Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma during the third quarter of the game between the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders on Sunday, November 9. During the conversation, Trump was shown a picture from his playing days at the New York Military Academy from 1959 to 1964, where Trump said he played tight end. When Vilma, 43, asked the president how many touchdowns he amassed in high school, Trump responded, “I’m not sure I had any.” “At least you realize I never tell a lie,” Trump added. In reflecting back on his less-than-remarkable high school stat line, Trump placed some of the fault on his signal caller. “We had a quarterback who didn’t have a very strong arm,” he postured. “I would say 10 yards was our long pass.” While watching the hard-hitting action between the Lions and Commanders, Trump admitted his era of football was very different. “It was not quite football like this,” he said. “It was a little bit easier. It wasn’t so tough.” In referencing Vilma, a former linebacker with the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints, Trump joked, “If I was tackled by him, I would never forget it.” The president added, “We had a good time and I loved it. I actually loved playing football. We had a good time with it.” Trump became the first sitting commander in chief to attend a regular season NFL game since President Jimmy Carter in 1978. “It’s a microcosm of life,” Trump said of his love of sports. “It’s sort of like life, you know? The good, the bad and the ugly, right?” He added, “You can equate sports with life. You have the triumph and you have the problems. You gotta get through the problems to hit the triumphs. You can never quit, you can never give up.” Growing up in New York, Trump said he was a fan of both the Jets and New York Giants. “We had a couple of Super Bowls with the Giants,” he said. “The Jets have been having a little bit of a hard time. [Jets owner] Woody [Johnson] is a great guy. He’s a great friend of mine. They’ll get it together. It’s taking a little time.” It’s been a tough year for both New York football teams, with the Giants currently sitting at 2-8 and the Jets at 2-7. The Jets won two consecutive games after starting the season on a seven-game winless streak. Trump also referenced the new stadium currently being built for the Commanders. In a story published by ESPN on Saturday, November 8, it was reported that Trump has been in touch with Washington ownership about naming the new stadium after him. “We’re getting all the approvals and everything else,” Trump said on Sunday. “You have a wonderful owner Josh [Harris] and his group. You’re going to see some very good things.”
