Sen. Marco Rubio's (R., Fla.) presidential campaign released a video Wednesday morning showing the senator engaged in intense preparation the night before the GOP's third debate in Boulder, Colorado.
"What’s the latest on Cruz?" Rubio says to a strategist on the phone. "Is he in or is he out? I’m seeing reports here that say both."
"What about Bush?" he asks while intently staring at a computer screen. "He’s been kind of quiet this year, but you can never know with this guy."
"You think we should look at who? Carson?" Rubio says. "Look, I know he started the year as a sleeper but he’s really thrown the ball around lately pretty good."
But it is not his debate opponents Rubio is worried about, it is his fantasy football team.
"Victor Cruz, Reggie Bush and Carson Palmer – let’s keep an eye on all those guys," Rubio says over the phone.
The witty video highlights digs at candidates Ted Cruz, Ben Carson and most notably his former mentor Jeb Bush, who is struggling in the polls despite once being considered the frontrunner. The longtime friends have targeted each other as each other's main roadblock to locking up the establishment vote, resulting in a feud between their campaigns.
Ironically, one area Bush is not struggling in is fantasy football. Bush has boasted that he is winning his league due to the terrific season Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is having. The former Florida governor called Gronkowski a "monster" and invited him to one of his New Hampshire town hall, which would no doubt be a huge draw in the region.
Throughout his campaign, football has taken a prominent role in showcasing a lighthearted Rubio. A video of a kid dropping a perfect pass from Rubio and subsequently letting the football hit his head went viral online. He hosted a football-themed event in Las Vegas where he played flag football with major donors earlier this month. The former college football player, whose wife used to be a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins, still coaches his son's pee-wee football team.
"Yeah, I know I got a debate," Rubio said in the video. "But I got to get this fantasy football thing right."