This June 5, 2011 file photo shows Hall of Famer and foirmer New york Giants linebacker Harry Carson before the start of the N.J. Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, N.J. Carson says he's considering a run for Congress in New Jersey. Reached by phone, Carson recently told The Associated Press he hasn't made a definitive decision yet but is thinking about it. He lives in Franklin Lakes. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz, File) 
By BETH DeFALCOTRENTON, N.J. -- Hall of Fame linebacker Harry Carson, one of the NFL's most feared linebackers in the 1970s and `80s with the New York Giants, is considering a run for Congress as a Democrat in New Jersey. "There's no definitive decision. It's a thought," Carson, 58, said when reached by phone.
Carson spent his entire professional career, from 1976 to 1988, playing for the Giants. Since retiring, he worked in sports broadcasting and started his own sports consulting and promotions company.
Although he has never held public office, Carson could afford to bankroll his own campaign and has instant name recognition among sports fans.He has been talking to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee about the idea, which became more attractive last week after redrawing of congressional districts and the resulting moves left Republican Rep. Scott Garrett, one of the state's most conservative delegation members, without a Democratic challenger in the northern part of the state.
"Congressman Scott Garrett is going to have a hard time explaining his extreme, out-of-touch agenda to voters in his new district," said Josh Schwerin, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Schwerin declined to comment on Carson directly.
A spokesman for Garrett didn't return a call seeking comment on Carson's possible run.
Last week, Carson rushed to North Carolina to help his brother, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Carson said Friday he had to sort through his family crisis before making a final decision.
Former Giants offensive lineman Brad Benson, who played with Carson from 1978 to 1988, said that wasn't unusual for Carson, whom he described as a "very caring, very cerebral" man, to drop everything to help someone out.
When the team's backup quarterback, Jeff Rutledge, was in a serious car accident in 2003, it was Carson who made the drive to see him and sat by his hospital bedside.
When running back Doug Kotar was diagnosed with cancer in the early 1980s, Carson gathered teammates and arranged a schedule for them to visit him in the hospital, and then set up a scholarship fund for Kotar's children.
And when former NFL star Lawrence Taylor admitted in court to paying a 16-year-old runaway for sex as he pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute, Carson was in the courtroom to offer support, giving Taylor a supportive handshake when he arrived.
"He's a deep guy," Benson said.
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