NASHVILLE - In a move bound to start political rumors flying yet again about his future Tennessee political aspirations, two-time Superbowl champion Peyton Manning appears to have gone golfing Sunday with President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.
An Associated Press photographer snapped a picture of Manning, a former University of Tennessee star quarterback, and Corker as they exited from Trump's motorcade which was returning from Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va.
Aides were carrying golf bags.
Al Drago, a New York Times photographer, tweeted that happened after Trump returned from a 4 1/2 hour outing.
A spokeswoman for Corker, a former Chattanooga mayor and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, did not immediately respond to a series of questions posted by the Times Free Press about the outing.
But this isn't the first time Manning has generated talk about a potential post-NFL career as a politician.
Back in January, there was considerable buzzing nationally as well as in Tennessee GOP circles after Manning was invited to speak to congressional Republicans at their annual retreat.
The speculation? U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., didn't intend to seek reelection in 2020.
There was so much talk that Alexander's aides and friends sought to push back with Alexander's office issuing a statement calling it an "unfounded rumor." The senator's chief of staff, David Cleary, said back then that Alexander had "made no formal decision about 2020 but he's fundraising and taking the steps one would take to prepare for re-election."
Of course, that statement stopped short of a formal declaration.
Tom Ingram, Alexander's long-time political advisor, also said back in January that "it's ridiculous to print rumors without any foundation. As far as I know, he is [running in 2020]. That's the message I got. And we're preparing full speed ahead."
In one posting Sunday on the Manning/Corker White House sighting, TheGolfNewsNet.com noted it is Trump administration policy "to not even acknowledge that the 45th President is playing golf, even if he's on property at one of his golf clubs."
White House pool reporters aren't allowed to follow the President around the golf course, so they would not have "explicitly" known that Manning and Corker were among those playing golf with Trump, the news site reported.