John Elway endorses Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee but not on official Broncos letterhead

Denver Broncos executive John Elway wrote a letter to urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to confirm Colorado’s Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Gorsuch is President Donald Trump’s nominee for the open seat and — if appointed — would give the court a 5-4 edge of conservative justices appointed by Republican presidents to four liberal justices, making it a politically crucial nomination.

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Have a look at Elway’s letter:

There had been reports that the endorsement was written on official team letterhead, but this was denied by a Broncos team spokesman.

The stick-to-sports crowd will have fun with this one. More and more, it seems it’s tougher to separate the two.

Elway lauds Gorsuch’s “tremendous intelligence, character and fairness,” as well as “his credentials, integrity and sound moral compass” as reasons why he thinks Gorsuch would be a good justice in our country’s highest court. Added Elway: “Neil is a big Denver Broncos fan, and I can tell you that I’m a big fan of his.”

For years, Elway has been active in politics and was said for years — before reentering the NFL with the Broncos’ front office — to be a possible candidate for several high offices, even being asked a few months ago if he plans to run for governor of Colorado in 2018. That said, he typically has kept a lower profile when it comes to throwing out public support, and the presence of a big orange horse on his Gorsuch letter raised a few eyebrows and questions.

Any perceived ties to Trump’s presidency, even if privately supported, are touchy turf these days for sports figures. The New England Patriots — namely Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft — have done what they can to distance themselves from Trump’s politics, even with some personal ties between the men. It will be interesting to see if Elway comments publicly on his Gorsuch endorsement.

Of course, Elway’s contract soon runs out and has yet to be extended. Perhaps a career in politics isn’t the craziest thing for his future.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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