Video shows Commanders employee disparaging NFL leadership, players, fans

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — A Washington Commanders employee is suspended and an internal investigation is underway after he was recorded making derogatory comments about NFL players, fans and leadership.

O’Keefe Media Group posted a video of one of their reporters on an undercover date with vice president of content Rael Enteen. The disparaging remarks were made during two separate “dates” that, according to the Associated Press , happened in D.C. in June.

Enteen called the NFL’s social justice efforts “performative.”

“It’s not done out of the goodness of their heart and morality. It’s done because George Floyd changed the game,” he said on one occasion.

“The social justice efforts are a performance for the sake of public perception and not because they want to actually push progress,” he later remarked.

Enteen also called players and fans dumb.

“Most of the fans, I would say, are high-school-educated alcoholics…mouth breathers,” he said on one occasion with the journalist.

Fans of the team are now responding to the comments.

“It was insulting, it was demeaning. Even if you are on a date with someone and you’re saying these things it was just illogical,” said a fan known as “Tailgate Ted” Abela. “You’re talking about these people who you’re supposed to be encouraging to support a product and you’re using all of these derogatory terms to describe them. I don’t understand the angle.”

Abela, a team superfan who organizes a group of tailgaters called the “Hail BBQ,” said the comments made about team fans are completely inaccurate.

“I raised with my group of other Commanders fans in the parking lot last year $10,000 for breast cancer,” he said. “And the Hogettes, the iconic Washington Redskins fans, they’ve raised millions of dollars for our community. There are fans who are doing good. We’re not all high school alcoholics and mouth breathers.”

Other fans also said they were disappointed to see the video.

“What I like about this new regime is they’ve shown the fans mean a lot to this community and this stadium,” said longtime fan Tim Bolding. “Out with the negative, in with the positive. It’s a new day.”

As VP of content, Enteen told the woman that he oversees and produces a range of materials for the team, from memes on TikTok to documentary-style shows.

In a statement, the Commanders said, “The language used in the video runs counter to our values at the Commanders organization. We have suspended the employee pending an internal investigation and will reserve further comment at this time.”

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