Trump Names NFL Veteran Scott Turner as HUD Secretary

Scott Turner (R), then-Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, speaks at the invitation of then-President Donald Trump during the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 10, 2019. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump announced on Friday the nomination of former NFL player Scott Turner to lead his Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Turner, 52, worked during Trump’s first term, serving as the executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council to help support the most distressed communities in the country.

In a statement, Trump commended Turner’s role in shaping one of his signature policies, the opportunity zones, during his first term.

“Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development,“ Trump said. ”Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment.”

Turner was born and raised in Texas. After graduating from the University of Illinois, he was drafted by the Washington Redskins and spent nine years in the NFL. Following his football career, he won a state House race in Texas.

Turner is the founder & CEO of the Community Engagement & Opportunity Council (CEOC), a family foundation dedicated to revitalizing communities across the nation through sports, mentorship, and economic opportunities. He also serves on the board of the American Cornerstone Institute and is an associate pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church.

A source familiar with internal discussions told The Epoch Times that former HUD Secretary Ben Carson, who led the department during Trump’s first term, was offered the position again but declined. Instead, Carson advocated for the nomination of Turner.

The transition team is still talking with Carson for a potential cabinet position, the source said. The Epoch Times reached out to Carson for comment.

Soon after the announcement, Carson congratulated Turner on X.

“Scott is a natural born leader, a man of God, and truly a brilliant individual,” Carson wrote. “Scott worked with me at HUD, playing a large part in the success of our Opportunity Zones program. I am confident he will take this agency to new heights and deliver great results for the American people.”

Turner thanked Trump for the nomination on social media platform X. 

“I am thrilled to continue the outstanding work we began in your last administration at HUD with an incredible team. I am deeply humbled by your confidence in my nomination,” he wrote. 

Turner also thanked Carson, saying “Few people are as compassionate and gracious as he is, and I am aware that I have big shoes to fill.”

During Trump’s first term, tax breaks were provided through opportunity zones to encourage private investment in low-income communities. The bipartisan initiative was created by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Investment projects in opportunity zones included a range of initiatives, including the development of low-income affordable housing, clean technologies, health care facilities, historical buildings, and the revitalization of brownfields—transforming contaminated and abandoned lands or structures.

The idea was championed by Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and then-Reps. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) and Ron Kind (D-Wis.) in 2017, and was later included in Trump’s tax-reform plan.

Scott issued a statement to congratulate Turner’s nomination.

“For too many Americans across the country, access to quality, affordable housing is out of reach. Federal housing policy has failed hardworking Americans for decades, and they deserve a different approach,” Scott said. “I look forward to working with Scott Turner to put more Americans on the path towards homeownership and financial opportunity. The Senate Banking Committee will work quickly to consider his nomination.”