Matt Light is taking on a new challenge in Foxborough, this time off the field. The former New England Patriot is running for school committee, Foxborough Town Clerk Bob Cutler confirmed to the Globe.
Light was unavailable for comment on Friday. But in a March 31 interview on conservative news outlet Newsmax, Light said he was inspired to run after conversations with friends and family about Foxborough school pandemic policies. He did not elaborate on which policies he was referring to.
“We cannot allow what’s happened over the last two years in this pandemic to be brushed under the rug,” Light said in the interview with Sean Spicer, host of the Newsmax show “Spicer & Co.” “What our kids are going through as they go to public schools shouldn’t be happening.”
Light said the toll that the pandemic has taken on children’s mental health needs to be addressed.
“There were too many things that happened during this pandemic that affected kids negatively, that put kids into mental institutions,” he said.
Light said that he and his wife, Susie, were personally affected by school pandemic policies and that they “were ignored” when they brought up concerns about their son’s heart condition.
“If we can’t see his lips, that’s the first sign of him losing oxygen,” he told Spicer. “So, little things like that went silenced.”
It was unclear if Light was referring to Foxborough school masking policies. After the sharp surge of the Omicron variant this winter, Massachusetts lifted its statewide school mask mandate on Feb. 28, though several communities, including Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville, extended their mandates to a later date. The Foxborough School Committee voted unanimously to rescind its mask mandate on Feb. 28, according to The Sun Chronicle.
When asked about local reaction to his campaign, Light first joked that some people may have thought his candidacy was an April Fool’s prank. He then added that the support he’s received from people in Foxborough has been “heart-warming.”
“These are people that work hard, and we have unbelievable teachers and people in our school system here that fight for our kids, but they need other people to stand up and fight for them as well,” he said.
Light said that being elected to the school committee would be a way to give back to Foxborough.
“So this is an opportunity for me to serve my community, to give back not just my time, but hopefully share a different viewpoint that I think has gotten muted over the last, you know, five or 10 years,” he said.
The former Patriots lineman operates the Light Foundation, which provides leadership programs and academic scholarships for kids.
Joseph A. Pires and current members Robert W. Canfield III and Brent D. Ruter are also running for positions on the school committee. Foxborough residents will be able for vote two candidates during the town’s annual election May 2, according to Cutler.
Colleen Cronin can be reached at colleen.cronin@globe.com.