Rubio relives gridiron glory in NFL playoffs ad

After his pair of high-heeled boots drew mockery from rivals this week, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is reminding voters that he was once a high school football star.

{mosads}The Republican presidential hopeful will air a 60-second television ad during the NFL playoffs this weekend in which he catches footballs and takes questions about his glory days on the gridiron, which included a football scholarship to Tarkio College.

“More nervous before first presidential debate or first college football game?” the questioner asks in the ad.

“I was more nervous before my first college football game, because you were actually going to get hit,” Rubio responds.

Rubio also said he picked the Miami Dolphins to win the Super Bowl this year, making his pick “the same one I have made for the last 40 years.”

Scored to the iconic “Monday Night Football” tune, the ad also notes that Rubio’s wife, Jeanette, is a former Dolphins cheerleader.

He also pokes fun at himself when asked about the most important way to prepare before a big game or speech.

“Make sure that there’s water nearby, like right now,” he says, as he catches a water bottle — a reference to his famous on-screen water break during his response to the 2013 State of the Unon address.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the date the ad was released.