NFL demands DHS remove clip pairing Dawkins hits with migrant rhetoric

The NFL has formally asked the US Department of Homeland Security to take down a social media video that used footage of former Philadelphia Eagles safety Brian Dawkins alongside rhetoric about immigration enforcement, according to Guardian NFL.

The clip, posted on Sunday, opens with Dawkins' famous pregame walkout, in which he is shown chanting "The time has come," before cutting to a montage of some of the hardest hits of his playing career.

DHS attached its own caption to the post, reading "Our time has come," a line that echoed and repurposed Dawkins' original chant for its own messaging.

The department's post was framed as a response to a separate social media account that had claimed a "huge migrant caravan" was approaching the United States' southern border, according to Guardian NFL.

By splicing Dawkins' most physical on-field moments into that context, the video drew a direct visual parallel between violent football tackles and enforcement action against immigrants.

Dawkins, who built his reputation with the Eagles as one of the position's most punishing defenders, said he had not given permission for his image or footage to be used in the DHS post.

His objection centres on the fact that highlights built around his identity and his signature pregame ritual were repurposed for a political message without his consent, as reported by Guardian NFL.

The NFL's request for the video's removal reflects the league's position that its players' likenesses and footage should not be attached to government messaging of this kind without clearance.

As of the reporting, the video remained tied up in the dispute between the league and the department, with the NFL's takedown request the latest development in the matter.