If the next picture you see of Browns running back Peyton Hillis is of him wearing "Ron Paul for President" paraphernalia, we can explain.

During Thursday's interview session, Hillis decided to comply with teammate Tony Pashos request (after persistent begging) that he advertise for Pashos' favorite presidential candidate. Pashos has had bumper stickers for Paul, the candidate vying for the Republican nomination, taped to his locker all season.

Hillis donned a Browns baseball cap with a Ron Paul bumper sticker plastered across it during TV and newspaper interviews, donned a "Ron Paul 2012 button" and added another Ron Paul sticker to his T-shirt for good measure.

Pashos joined the media scrum and asked the final question of the interview session.

"Who do you support for president?" Pashos shouted.

"Ron Paul," Hillis said, simply. "He represents the constitution and what it needs to be."

Hillis was more engaging and upbeat Thursday than he's been all season, a trying one for him in which he has missed five games with a hamstring injury and been in contentious contract renegotiations with the Browns.

At the start of the interview, a TV cameraman looked to clip a microphone on Hillis' shirt.

"Can we pin this on you?" he asked.

"Why not?" Hillis responded. "You guys have pinned everything else on me this year."

Zing!