Several former NFL players are among a growing number of people calling out the White House for using their images in Trump administration videos trying to sell Americans on the war in Iran, according to a Washington Post report on Thursday.
Kenny Bell, who has played for several NFL teams, saw one of his favorite plays from when he played for The University of Nebraska posted in a White House video featuring military strikes in Iran, he told The Post.
"Bell, now retired from pro football at 34, said he was disgusted with the montage set to AC/DC’s 'Thunderstruck,'" The Post reported
"For that play to be associated with bombing human beings makes me sick," Bell said. "I don’t want anything to do with images like that."
The White House has been criticized by several public figures, including actor and producer Ben Stiller, for using pop culture clips or songs to promote Trump's agenda in content framed like action movies or video games. Artists Kesha, Sabrina Carpenter, SZA and Olivia Rodrigo have also asked the administration not to use their material in White House videos promoting ICE agents or MAGA policies.
Stiller last week responded to the White House's use of his film "Tropic Thunder" in a social media supercut featuring multiple other movies, television shows and recent military footage promoting the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.
When it comes to the NFL and its game footage, the league has generally opposed use or reproduction of its copyrighted material, The Post reported.
Former NFL players Ray Lewis and Ed Reed were also included in the White House's supercut. Both have condemned it.
“I do not approve this message," Reed wrote in a post on X.
Mason Foster, another former NFL player, said he had deleted his social media years ago and was surprised to also be featured in the recent Trump administration video.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Foster said. “It’s a strange feeling, seeing those clips like that. I don’t think anything going on in the world today is as simple as a great football play or a hit. I’m still wrapping my head around it. When people are losing their lives, I don’t think it can compare to a game.”