NFL Demands Department of Homeland Security Remove Video Featuring Former Star Brian Dawkins

Philadelphia Eagles safety Brian Dawkins celebrates after defeating the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium in Irving.

The National Football League has formally requested that the Department of Homeland Security remove a social media video featuring highlights of a retired star player. The agency had used the footage to demonstrate border security readiness against a migrating group heading toward the United States.

“The league has requested the DHS take down the video,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy stated.

The controversial video, published on Sunday, depicts Brian Dawkins—a former player for the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos—emerging before a game and chanting “the time has come.” The sequence transitions into a montage of his career tackles accompanied by heavy metal music, complete with the caption “Our time has come.”

Brian Dawkins finished a celebrated 16-season career in the NFL before retiring in 2011.

Immigration remains a prominent focus under US President Donald Trump, who has characterized border crossings from Mexico as an “invasion” while deploying federal forces domestically to target undocumented individuals. During a previous term, US President Donald Trump similarly stationed thousands of troops at the border to intercept a caravan of Central American migrants traveling northward, drawing criticism from detractors who viewed the action as a political maneuver prior to the 2018 midterm elections.