Chris Turner (American Football) - Personal Life

Personal Life

Turner graduated from the University of Maryland in May 2009 with a bachelor's degree in government and politics. His strong interest in politics factored into his decision on where to attend college. He chose the University of Maryland partly based on its close proximity to Washington, D.C. Turner's political views are liberal; he is registered as a Democrat, and has described himself as an idealist.

During the 2008 season, political discussions were common in the Maryland locker room because of the presidential election. Turner and fellow quarterback Jordan Steffy, a conservative and supporter of presidential candidate Senator John McCain, were the most frequent debaters, while defensive tackle Dean Muhtadi was described as the primary instigator. During the summer of 2009, Turner held an internship on Capitol Hill working for Democratic Representative Steny Hoyer, the House Majority Leader and Maryland's fifth district congressman. Turner had previously considered volunteering for the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, which he said probably annoyed his conservative father, John Turner. Describing his experience during the internship, Turner said, "It's funny to compare how serious politics is and how serious football is. Depending on who you talk to, they're both pretty big deals . . . There's more to life than football."

Incidentally, Turner's favorite sport is soccer, not football. He is also interested in foreign cultures and expressed regret at being unable to spend a semester abroad because of college football. Turner said that, dependent upon the outcome of his football career, he would like to attend the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.