Commanders Fire Executive for Comments on NFL Players, Roger Goodell, Jerry Jones

VP of content Rael Enteen was fired after a video surfaced in which he made disparaging remarks about players, fans, Roger Goodell and Jerry Jones.
A general view of a Washington Commanders helmet.
A general view of a Washington Commanders helmet. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images
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The Washington Commanders fired vice president of content Rael Enteen after a video surfaced online in which he criticized players on the team for being anti-gay, accused Jerry Jones of being racist and claimed that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was a "$50 million puppet" controlled by the league's owners.

Additionally, Enteen made crude remarks about the Commanders' fan base and football fans in general, labeling them as "high-school educated alcoholics" and "mouth breathers."

Enteen was initially suspended by Washington on Wednesday after the video began making rounds on social media when it was posted by O'Keefe Media Group. The comments were made during a conversation with an undercover reporter, whom he met on a dating app, who secretly videotaped their encounter.

Enteen indicated that Roger Goodell was merely an expensive puppet controlled by the owners of NFL teams, and singled out Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, as the individual running the league.

"I don't think the commissioner of the NFL hates gay people, hates black people. Jerry Jones, who really runs the NFL, I think he hates gay people, black people," Enteen told the reporter.

In a statement Wednesday, the Commanders announced that they'd suspended Enteen. They then fired him on Thursday following an internal investigation.

"The language used in the video runs counter to our values at the Commanders organization," said a team spokesperson, via The Washington Post.

James O'Keefe, founder of the O'Keefe Media Group, told the Associated Press that the videos of Enteen were taken across two separate dates in June.

Enteen had been with the Commanders since 2020, and had previously spent time in the New York Jets organization.


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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.