Lou Holtz Sticking With TV, Shuns Congress

Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz told an Indiana television station he doesn't plan to run for Congress.

"I'm working for ESPN. I don't want to run for Congress," Holtz told WNDU-TV of South Bend on Wednesday at a golf outing in nearby Bridgman, Mich. "All I'm going to do is fulfill the commitment to ESPN. I'm prepared for it and then we'll go from there."

A GOP strategist said Tuesday that Holtz was considering running as a Republican for the central Florida congressional seat held by Democrat Rep. Suzanne Kosmas.

Holtz has never run for office. He has worked as an analyst at ESPN since retiring from his last coaching stint at South Carolina at the end of the 2004 season.

A message seeking comment was left Thursday at Holtz's office in Orlando, Fla. His secretary said he was traveling and not available for comment.

Holtz would not say on camera whether he met with GOP officials last week, but WNDU reported that he told others during the outing that he had. Holtz said he is just an average citizen, not a politician.

"I think when you look at the country, you really don't want to get into politics," Holtz said.

Three Republicans already have announced they will run for the congressional seat.