Donald Trump and the NFL has been synonymous with one another ever since he started his second Presidential Term. It started with Super Bowl 59 and continued with having the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs visiting the White House.
However, one legend just recently revealed how he kept some massive Trump news a secret.
May 1, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; President Donald Trump enters the arena to deliver a special commencement address to University of Alabama graduates at Coleman Coliseum. Graduation occurs over the weekend. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News
Packers legend Clay Matthews revealed at last month’s NFL Draft how he got away with making a controversial statement:
The draft was held in Green Bay, and the Packers brought in Clay Matthews to fire up the crowd as the event kicked off. Matthews stepped up to the podium and told the audience that he received a message from President Donald Trump over the phone.
“Let me tell you what it reads here, alright? It says, ‘My fellow Americans, the BEARS STILL SUCK!” Matthews screamed, much to the delight of Packer fans:
Donald Trump’s Name Dragged Into Joke By Clay Matthews. Photo credits: Imagn
Though Matthews’ comment there was meant to be in good humor, some fans wondered how he got away with it, since the NFL prefers to stay clear of political comments, endorsements and references.
During his appearance on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast, Clay Matthews revealed that he didn’t tell anyone ahead of time about his planned Trump reference, knowing the league would probably shut it down:
“I was just like I don’t really just want to get up there and be like Green Bay make some noise so I was like let’s make this memorable.
I didn’t tell anybody because I knew the NFL wasn’t going to approve it,’ he added. ‘I knew in today’s political climate you mentioned one political affiliation, left, right, like it’s just not going to go over well with the NFL.”
May 1, 2025; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; President Donald Trump delivers a special commencement address to University of Alabama graduates at Coleman Coliseum. Graduation occurs over the weekend. Trump tells a story about a female weight lifter struggling in a competition with a trans weight lifter. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News
The six-time Pro Bowler added that Commissioner Roger Goodell was “super cool” when he returned backstage…so crisis averted.
As for the Packers, they wound up using their first-round pick on Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden. This marked the first time in 23 years where Green Bay used a day-one pick on a wideout.
The six-time Pro Bowler spent 10 of his 11 NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers, earning six Pro Bowl nods and a First-team All-Pro selection in 2010.
Matthews played an instrumental role in the Packers’ Super Bowl 45 championship-winning season, too. As a sophomore, Matthews helped the sixth-seeded Packers roll through the NFC before taking down Ben Roethlisberger’s Pittsburgh Steelers in the big game.
President Donald J. Trump addresses the graduates of the Class of 2020 during the commencement ceremony on the Plain at West Point.
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McQuade Arnold is a Co-Owner of Wisconsin Sports Heroics (WSH), Gridiron Heroics (GH), and Hardwood Heroics (HWH). He graduated from American Military University with an associate in General Studies and is currently pursuing his Bachelors in Sports Marketing. McQuade has been active duty in the United States Navy for 11 years and is currently stationed in Chicago, IL after spending time in Norfolk, VA and San Diego, CA. He is originally from Superior, WI and is a die hard Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin Badgers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Milwaukee Bucks fan. McQuade's work for WSH has been featured on YardBarker, Bleacher Report, NewsBreak, and MSN.
