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CHARLOTTE (AP) — Former Carolina Panthers safety Mike Minter said Wednesday that he will make a decision in the next few weeks whether to challenge for the 8th District seat.

The seat is currently held by Democrat Larry Kissell, who defeated 10-year Republican incumbent Rep. Robin Hayes in November's election.

Minter spoke minutes after returning from a two-day visit to Washington where surveyed the political scene. The former Nebraska Cornhuskers' star said he would discuss the issue with his family and pastor before deciding.

"My thing right now is trying to find the best way I can help people achieve what they need to achieve," Minter said. "This is just another option that was thrown on the table for me to look at."

Minter is one of the most popular players in Panthers history. A second-round pick out of Nebraska in 1997, Minter became a mainstay in the Panthers' secondary and remains the team's leading tackler. He retired in training camp in 2007 because of chronic knee pain, but has remained active in the community.

Minter is involved in several business, charitable and religious activities and has even attempted acting. He'll play the lead role in a movie, "Sins of Ashe County." Filming began recently in the Carolinas.

Minter is also coaching a local high school football team and is involved in UNC Charlotte's efforts to start a football program. Minter said he's also inquired about coaching that team, too.

"I'm not afraid to look at something or try something to see if that's an area I want to focus on," Minter said.

Minter would compete for a seat in 2010 that had been solidly Republican until Kissell edged Hayes in November, one of several seats the GOP lost nationally in the election.