Roger Goodell went on camera in 2020 and told the world the NFL believes black lives matter.
Now the same league is demanding the Trump administration scrub a border security video starring a Hall of Famer.
DHS kept the video up – and the NFL just discovered it has no leverage over the people running this country.
The League That Picked the Wrong Fight
The Department of Homeland Security posted a hype video on Sunday featuring Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins – "Weapon X" himself – as DHS signaled it was ready to confront a migrant caravan headed for the southern border.
The clip channeled Dawkins' legendary ferocity.
It was exactly the kind of fired-up, memetic content the Trump administration has made its signature since Day One.
The NFL was not amused.
By Monday, the league had officially contacted DHS and requested the video be removed.
As of Tuesday evening, DHS hadn't moved a single pixel.
The video was still up.
Still playing.
Still using Dawkins' image and likeness – without the league's blessing.
Dawkins Kept His Distance – But Didn't Ask Trump to Stop
Dawkins addressed the situation on social media, and his response was notably measured.
"I didn't give permission for my name, image, and likeness to be used by anybody," Dawkins said. "Take a deep breath. Y'all be blessed."
He added in a caption that he hadn't authorized anyone beyond his current business partners to use his name and image.
What he did not say – and this matters – is that he wanted the Trump administration to pull the video down.
That's a meaningful gap.
https://twitter.com/BrianDawkins/status/2104656984502931868?s=20
The NFL demanded removal.
Dawkins blessed everyone and moved on.
There's a reason the NFL is more agitated than Dawkins.
Since Kaepernick turned the national anthem into a protest stage in 2016, the league has been desperate to look like a neutral party.
NFL ratings dropped by double digits during the height of those protests – a 13 percent decline in the 2017 season opener alone.
Conservative fans walked away in massive numbers.
The league has been trying to thread the needle ever since.
The Hypocrisy the NFL Doesn't Want You to Notice
Roger Goodell went on camera in June 2020 and told the world: "We, the National Football League, believe black lives matter."
He also admitted the NFL "was wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier" – a direct endorsement of Kaepernick's anthem protests.
The league put social justice messaging on helmets.
They painted it in end zones.
They celebrated every bit of it.
But a clip of "Weapon X" paired with a message about stopping a migrant caravan?
Suddenly the NFL is a neutral party that wants no part of politics.
This isn't neutrality.
This is selective politics – the kind where one side gets celebrated and the other gets a cease-and-desist letter.
DHS Isn't Playing Along
Here's what the NFL apparently forgot: DHS doesn't work for Roger Goodell.
https://twitter.com/MLFootball/status/2104642719184531493?s=20
The Trump administration has operated with exactly zero interest in bowing to corporate pressure on immigration enforcement.
The idea that the NFL – a private entertainment company – could dispatch a polite request to DHS and get compliance was always wishful thinking.
The video stayed up.
And the NFL learned that when you've spent ten years playing politics on one side, don't be surprised when the other side plays back.
Brian Dawkins spent 16 seasons delivering bone-crunching hits without hesitation.
The irony is that "Weapon X" handled this situation with more grace than the league now invoking his name to pick a fight it was never going to win.
Sources:
- Bryan Chai, "Woke NFL Asks DHS to Remove Hall of Fame Defender from Clip of Agency Vowing to Stop Migrant Caravan," The Western Journal, September 30, 2026.
- Ryan Saavedra, "Backlash: NFL Ratings Crash on Opening Night as Players Kneel During Anthem," Daily Wire, September 2017.
- "NFL Condemns Racism, Apologizes for Not Listening to Players' Earlier Protests," ABC News, June 6, 2020.