NFL Asks Department of Homeland Security to Remove Brian Dawkins Border Video

The Department of Homeland Security used a montage of Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins’ pregame entrance and hard-hitting NFL highlights in a social media post about a purported migrant caravan approaching the U.S. border. Posted on X with the caption “Our time has come,” the video showed Dawkins chanting “The time has come”; DHS also shared an image saying “The Border Is Closed.” The NFL said it asked DHS to take down the video, though it remains unclear whether the league or Dawkins authorized use of the footage. Dawkins has not publicly commented, and DHS and the Philadelphia Eagles did not respond to some media requests. The post follows other instances of official U.S. government accounts using sports highlights in political messaging.
DHS told Newsweek it had been tracking a group of approximately 600 people since it left San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on Sept. 20.
Dawkins played 13 of his 16 NFL seasons with the Eagles and was known for his dramatic “Weapon X” entrance, inspired by Wolverine; he was a nine-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro.
A March 6 White House video interspersed military explosions with NFL highlights, including a clip of Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown hitting Reggie Bush; the posts appeared days after direct war between the U.S. and Iran began on Feb. 28.
The NFL’s stated policy, as reported by The Athletic, is that major sports leagues generally require express written consent for use of their footage.
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