The White House recently posted a video on March 6 captioned “Touchdown.” Set to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” the 33-second clip spliced footage of U.S. military strikes on Iran with NFL and college football highlights, including big hits, punishing blocks, and bodies getting laid out.
It framed a lethal conflict as a pregame hype reel. In late February, the U.S. and Israel launched military strikes on Iran, including a Feb. 28 attack that killed Iran’s supreme leader. Experts are still counting the number of casualties.
When the White House chose to promote the war using football highlights, NFL analystRyan Clark clapped back hard at the US leaders for using sports in absolutely the wrong way.
Ryan Clark claps back at White House for Tropic Thunder + NFL mashup in Iran conflict video
The video was part of a series of “memeified” propaganda clips released by the White House to promote Operation Epic Fury, but multiple legendary defensive players were featured without their consent.
Nov 25, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Ryan Clark on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Nov 25, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Ryan Clark on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
It included a clip of former Baltimore Ravens teammates delivering hits. Ray Lewis stated he did not approve of his image being used, noting that football is about “discipline, brotherhood, and respect,” not war.
Ed Reed was also critical of the White House for using his clip. Clark was in there too. The former Pittsburgh Steelers safety, who spent 13 seasons in the NFL, discovered his hit had been used in the same fashion and he didn’t hold back on The Pivot podcast.
Hecalled the video “absolutely disgusting and despicable” and added, “I’m disappointed because, for one, to have ‘Tropic Thunder’ and football highlights on a video about war is one of the more insensitive things that I’ve ever seen.”
He added, “There are families here in our country whose loved ones have decided to give their life to fight for our rights and our freedoms, who don’t see war as a sport. War doesn’t deserve a highlight film, for ‘Tropic Thunder’ to be a part of it. War is not a comedy,” Clark said.
He went further, stating that U.S. troops were being sent to risk their lives not necessarily for the country’s safety, but for someone else’s agenda. Clark called the administration “unserious,” “unprofessional,” and “embarrassing,” drawing a sharp distinction between what a public servant looks like versus what the country currently has.
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Clark alsoposted the same sentiment on X, writing their nation has “lost all integrity, decorum, & character.”
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly defended the video, stating the administration would not apologize for highlighting the military’s success in Operation Epic Fury. It remains to be seen how NFL officials will react to this clip.