WASHINGTON — Former NFL player Scott Turner was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for the position of secretary of housing and urban development on Friday.

Turner, 52, ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office.

Trump, in a statement, credited Turner with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” He is the highest-ranking Black person Trump has yet selected for his administration.

Before entering politics, Turner played cornerback in the NFL for nine seasons with Washington, the Chargers and the Broncos. He was a seventh-round pick out of Illinois in the 1995 draft.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.