Cowboys Legend Endorses Ken Paxton, Citing Concerns Over Transgender Participation in Girls’ Sport

Dallas Cowboys alum Randy White is making his political stance known ahead of the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Texas.

Speaking to Fox’s Outkick Sports, the NFL legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer, 73, said he was endorsing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for Senate over Democrat James Talarico, who, per a Fox News poll, was leading the race as of October 1.

“Ken Paxton will get in there and get things done. He’s not afraid,” White told OutKick in the interview, published on Sunday, October 4. “That’s one thing I really like about Ken. He will get in there and say what needs to be said. He doesn’t hold back. He tells the truth. He’s not trying to win a popularity contest when he’s working. It’s what’s right for the people.”

As for why he’s decided to back the controversial 63-year-old candidate, White said he’s built a relationship with the AG that was spurred in large part by their shared beliefs on issues surrounding the opioid crisis and Paxton’s work with children.

“I got to know Ken as a person, and I think he is a super person,” he continued. “I like his attitude, the things that he does, the way he does them.”

White, who played for the Cowboys from 1975 to 1988, also noted that his support for Paxton comes amid his distrust of Talarico, 37, whom he termed “too woke.”

“I know Ken Paxton,” White said. “I know he’s going to do what he says he’s going to do. I know he’s going to go to work every day, and he’s going to help the people of Texas. This other guy, I don’t know him. But I hear what he says, and it’s different from what I believe.”

He continued, “I don’t want to go into each specific thing, but, yeah, he’s different than what I think is right. If this guy gets elected in Texas, I’m going to pull my hair out, and I don’t have many left. So, we’ve got to get out and vote so this doesn’t happen.”

As for where he disagrees most with Talarico, White specifically cited Talarico’s view on transgender participation in girls’ sports and access to girls’ bathrooms.

While Talarico voted against Republican-backed restrictions on transgender athletes while serving in the Texas House, in September he told Fox News that he would “oppose trans athletes playing in girls’ sports if it risks safety or fairness.”

Talarico later clarified that his stance hadn’t changed, saying in an interview at The Texas Tribune Festival that month that he opposes a blanket statewide ban, per the Houston Chronicle‘s “Flip-Fop Tracker,” and believes decisions should be made by local education and sports officials on an athlete-by-athlete and sport-by-sport basis.

“I think that’s a sign that we can’t trust him,” White said. “He’s going to go with the way the wind flows, whatever he feels like is the best thing for him and what his goals are. We don’t need somebody like that.

“We need somebody like Ken Paxton who is going to stick to his guns, who is not afraid to stand up for what he believes is right,” he added.