Jacksonville native Brian Dawkins looks on during a Philadelphia Eagles practice on July 31, 2016. Dawkins, a nine-time Pro Bowl safety and four-time All-Pro during 16 seasons with the Eagles and Broncos, is a Jacksonville native and William M. Raines graduate. | Associated Press, Chris Szagola
Published on September 29, 2026 at 12:10 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
The NFL has asked the Department of Homeland Security to take down a video on social media showing highlights of Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins in reference to a purported caravan of immigrants approaching the U.S. border.
Dawkins is a Jacksonville native who graduated from William M. Raines High School before spending 16 years as a hard-hitting safety for the Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
The video posted on Sunday shows Dawkins’ pregame walkout as he chants “The time has come,” followed by a series of big hits. The DHS post includes the caption “Our time has come.”
DHS responded to its initial post with an image of Dawkins during a pregame entrance with the caption: “The Border Is Closed.”
“The league has requested the DHS take down the video,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Monday.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Dawkins was a nine-time Pro Bowler and five time All-Pro safety during his professional career before retiring in 2011. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
Dawkins responded to the video on his social media profiles on Monday.
“All right, let’s be clear, let’s be clear, I didn’t give permission for my name, image and likeness to be used by anybody, all right, by anybody,” Dawkins said.
DHS released a statement saying the U.S. Border Patrol “is actively tracking” a group of migrants coming from Honduras and used football jargon to add that the department “is playing lockdown defense” at the border.
The statement did not address the NFL’s request to take down the video, which had not been deleted as of Tuesday morning.
