Herschel Walker might be rethinking taking his talents into the world of politics as the public excoriation of his name continues. This time, instead of Walker putting himself in a tricky spot by his commentary or speech debacles, his ex-wife is outing his apparent penchant for domestic violence.
In a new ad, Cindy DeAngelis Grossman, Walker’s ex-wife, details the threats she allegedly endured.
NEW ad running in Georgia from Republican Accountability PAC.
This is the real Herschel Walker. pic.twitter.com/vErPuvOqNw
— Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) August 8, 2022
“His eyes would become very evil. The guns and knives. I got into a few choking things with him,” Grossman said in the ad. “The first time he held the gun to my head, he held the gun to my temple and said he was gonna blow my brains out.”
The ad ran on Monday and was sponsored by an anti-Trump group called The Republican Accountability Project, and it has the Georgia GOP Senate nominee squarely in their crosshairs. The ad sets Walker up with a narrative that attacks his wholesome Christian-centric image: “Do you think you know Herschel Walker? Well, think again.”
Back in 2021, Walker said that he was holding himself “accountable” for the violent behavior he exhibited against his ex-wife in the past. He also wrapped it around his subsequent mental health battles, declaring a truism; that people suffering from mental health issues should not be “ashamed” about contending with their struggles.
Herschel Walker does not want you to retweet this. Can you take a moment and retweet pic.twitter.com/HS9UGbgM3f
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) August 8, 2022
However, Grossman’s allegations in the ad are very specific and border on criminal accusations. Despite the heavy racial undertones that exist in America, where a white woman describes a Black man’s “eyes becoming evil,” Walker has always asserted that he has never broken the law. But knives, guns, and choking are all prosecutable in court, and the ad attempts to steer public opinion into an outcry.
“I’m always accountable to whatever I’ve ever done,” Walker said to Axios. “And that’s what I tell people: I’m accountable to it.”
In his book “Breaking Free: My Life with Dissociative Disorder,” Walker describes his diagnosis of the illness. Dissociative disorders are characterized by “an involuntary escape from reality characterized by a disconnection between thoughts, identity, consciousness, and memory,” according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The organization says that “people from all age groups and racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds can experience a dissociative disorder.”
Walker has always used the domestic violence accusation as a segue to show his transformation into a better person fit to lead politically. As a beloved athlete first, his compelling narrative fits perfectly into the imperfect storylines that emanate from Trump’s rhetoric; however, how effective his story is will depend on voters.
Herschel Walker is unfit to serve in the Senate. That’s the tweet. pic.twitter.com/GPYVpXTQWT
— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) August 6, 2022
“Most of the things I’ve done after my struggles have shown people that you can get knocked down and you can get up,” Walker continued to Axios. “And that’s what I want people to realize.”
“Don’t be ashamed to address your issues,” he said. “For a man, it’s very tough. For an African-American man, it’s even harder. But you know, I want people to see that. And that’s one of the major reasons I decided to run.”
With many believing that Walker’s track record of admitting domestic violence should disqualify him from running for office, they also know that a mental health defense is not one to contend with, no matter how horrible the actions stemming from the mental illness.
The kid gloves are off in the race for the Senate, and more layers about Herschel Walker are coming out to haunt him.
