Commanders fire employee after video showed him belittling players and fans

By Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press

ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders said they have fired an employee after he was shown making disparaging comments about players and fans in an undercover video posted on social media.

A team spokesman said Thursday that vice president of content Rael Enteen had been fired. Enteen was initially suspended pending an internal investigation after he said in a video posted by O’Keefe Media Group that some players were dumb and homophobic and called fans “high school-educated alcoholics” and “mouth breathers.”

A team spokesman said Wednesday after the post surfaced: “The language used in the video goes against our values ​​as a Commanders organization.”

James O’Keefe, who founded the company last year, told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday that the videos were taken during two dates in June in Washington. O’Keefe said Enteen and the woman who filmed the interactions met on a dating app.

In the videos, Enteen also criticized NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. He called Goodell “a $50 million puppet” and called the league’s social justice initiatives performative.

Enteen, who had been with the team since 2020, also said in the video that he believes Jones “hates gays and black people.”

A message sent Wednesday to a league spokesman seeking comment had not been returned as of Thursday. The Cowboys did not respond to a request for comment.

AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.

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