A Baltimore Ravens Hall of Famer reacted to the Trump administration’s social media post that intermixed football highlights with military strikes in the Middle East.
“I do not approve this message,” Ed Reed, who played safety for the Ravens for 11 seasons, said on X on Sunday.
The White House posted two videos on social media last week, intermixing footage of what appears to be aerial views of military explosions with highlights from the National Football League and Major League Baseball.
The 33-second video with football clips featured Reed and Ray Lewis, who played for the Ravens as a linebacker for 17 years, along with numerous other NFL players. Express written consent is usually required to use major sports league footage, according to The Athletic. The NFL and the Baltimore Ravens didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Trump administration is known for its frequent use of social media, often posting memes and AI-generated images and sometimes drawing criticism. Similar to the NFL and MLB videos, the White House also posted a video last week that mixed military attacks with clips from popular action movies. Actor Ben Stiller objected to the use of a “Tropic Thunder” clip and demanded it be removed.
In the past, popular musicians, including Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo, have spoken out when the administration used their music in montages showing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detaining people.
The U.S. and Israeli governments launched military strikes on Iran in late February, a serious escalation in the region. An Israeli strike killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, on Feb. 28. His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has been named his successor.
The war has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, at least 397 in Lebanon and at least 11 in Israel, according to officials. Seven U.S. soldiers have died.
The White House did not confirm if the administration got express consent from the major sports leagues to use the highlight videos.
“The legacy media wants us to apologize for highlighting the United States Military’s incredible success,” Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the White House, said in a statement. “But the White House will continue showcasing the many examples of Iran’s ballistic missiles, production facilities, and dreams of owning a nuclear weapon being destroyed in real time.”







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