Lawmakers match up against Capitol Police for 12th annual Congressional Football Game

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) -The 12th annual Congressional Football Game kicked off Wednesday night in Washington, D.C. with members of Congress and former NFL football players (The Mean Machine) taking on the U.S. Capitol Police (The Guards).

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) says this event is a great way to build camaraderie with both leaders and Capitol police officers.

”This is a good thing for charity, and to make sure that it ends and starts the right way, and that is because of it’s all done for bringing us together,” said Sessions.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) agrees. He says this event is something he looks forward to.

”There’s a lot of camaraderie when we’re practicing because it’s Republicans, Democrats practicing together, and it’s actually good bonding experience, especially after this last year where it’s been a lot of tensions,” said Bacon.

The coaches were former NFL player John Booty for The Mean Machine and former Capitol Police OIfficer Jim Davis. In an interview with Nicole Neuman of the Gray Television Washington News Bureau, the pair joked back and forth about which team has the most wins.

The Congressional Football Game was started in 2004 to honor and support U.S. Capitol Police and the families of fallen officers. This year’s game taking on an added significance for The Guards in the wake of the Jan. 6 breach at the Capitol.

U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn has played this game for several years.

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” said Dunn. “I had been thinking about it a couple of days before and stuff. And yeah, it did. Like I said, this is for a good cause. It’s for the Capitol Police Memorial Fund, and having officers that have fallen this year specifically, it hits a little closer to home.”

The game is anticipated to raise more than $600,000 for the Capitol Police Memorial Fund and other charities. Event organizers say it’s “right on time” because the memorial fund is in “desperate need.”

The Guards beat the Mean Machine 26-6.

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