Super Bowl-winning former Green Bay Packers coach takes sides in crucial Wisconsin Senate race with explosive intervention

Legendary former coach Mike Holmgren, who won the Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 1997, has weighed in on the Wisconsin Senate race that may shape the composition of the upper body after November's elections.

Incumbent Republican party senator Ron Johnson is going up against Democratic nominee Mandela Barnes. Holmgren minced no words in letting the public know which side he was on.

Holmgren castigated Johnson for what he called misinformation being put out by the sitting senator. The former coach highlighted the outside money pouring into Johnson's campaign that has allowed him to cut ads to shape the narrative of the race.

Barnes trails in the polls going into the election and is counting on the Green Bay Packers legend to make up the deficit.

As someone who brought the Super Bowl back to Wisconsin after a long hiatus, Holmgren is well-regarded by residents and voters of the state. His words could be impactful.

Holmgren said in a video on Twitter:

"We all know things on the football field can get nasty, but the baloney being put out there by Ron Johnson and [Senate Republican leader] Mitch McConnell's just awful. Ron Johnson's lied to Wisconsinites and now he is lying about Mandela Barnes with millions of dollars in attack ads."

Whether Holmgren's statement will move the needle is unknown, but his clear stand against Johnson is damning for the incumbent senator of Wisconsin.

Mike Holmgren was a messiah to the long-suffering Green Bay Packers fans

Many will know the storied history of the Green Bay Packers and their record 13 NFL Championships. The Super Bowl trophy is also named after their former head coach, Vince Lombardi. But in their tale of success, what has often been overlooked is the barren years in between.

After winning the first two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967, the Green Bay Packers went three decades without winning the championship. Management hired San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren to stop the slide.

Having won two Super Bowls with the 49ers, Holmgren came to Green Bay as the head coach and delivered Super Bowl XXXI in 1997, which ended the drought for the Wisconsin team.

Holmgren later joined the Seattle Seahawks and took them to their first Super Bowl, even though he fell at the final hurdle.

After stepping away from football, Holmgren got involved in politics for the first time in the 2020 presidential election, advocating for Joe Biden over Donald Trump. Biden eventually won the race.

Similarly, Mandela Barnes and the Democratic Party will hope Holmgren's words will resonate with supporters in the crucial Senate race.