FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Former New England Patriots offensive lineman Matt Light has been blocked in his bid to win a seat on the Foxborough School Committee.

Light, who had been critical of school mask mandates and other health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, finished third in Monday's election in a four-way race for two open seats.

Light, 43, got 1,137 votes, according to unofficial results posted on the town's website. Board Chair Robert Canfield III and fellow incumbent Brent Ruter, who both supported masking requirements, got 1,792 and 1,710 votes respectively.

“I was willing to do the job, but it wasn’t my time,” Light wrote on his campaign Facebook page Tuesday. “My focus is needed in other areas and after this experience I'm more thankful for all the people in my life today than ever before.”

He said he is proud that he did not resort to personal attacks and will now turn his attention back to the Light Foundation, the charity he founded to empower youth through outdoor activities.

Light, who was on three Super Bowl-winning teams during an 11-year NFL career with the Patriots from 2001 until 2011, has four children who have either gone through or are enrolled in the town's schools.

He and his wife told The Sun Chronicle their son has a heart condition and during the mask mandate school officials ignored their concerns about the need to check him for signs of oxygen loss.

“We wanted our kids to be able to go to school, being able to look each other in the eye and in the face and not have to worry about the masks and everything that comes with that and be in person,” he told The Boston Globe.

The Associated Press