Why some Commanders linebackers take a shot before games

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ASHBURN, Va. — Walk to the back of the Washington Commanders locker room, where the linebackers usually sit swapping stories and telling jokes, and you might stumble onto a secret.

Ask Leo Chenal about the topic and he grins before saying, “I can’t talk about that.”

Then shuffle over to Kain Medrano, a second-year player, and he starts laughing about the subject. “I didn’t really know how to feel about it at first. Like, ‘Am I supposed to be doing this?’” he says, still not giving it away.

But, after a minute, they eventually spill.

The Commanders linebackers are Northwest Stadium’s first unofficial tailgaters.

On game-day morning, they meet in the parking lot long before any fan arrives. They bring out the tequila and take a shot.

“Your blood is tingling,” Medrano says. “We get there. We do our thing. Then once we go inside it is time to handle business. ... It’s a cool thing.”

Cool is one way to describe it. Unorthodox could be another. But the heart of Washington’s defense swears by it.

And, in the Commanders’ home opener, Medrano came up with the game-sealing interception off Super Bowl-winning quarterback Sam Darnold. Head coach Dan Quinn praised his preparation.

Little do people know, that preparation starts with a little liquid courage.

The origins of a ritual

Medrano was a rookie last year, a sixth-round draft pick out of UCLA, when he heard about the tradition.

Frankie Luvu, an NFL veteran now on his third team, had done it at his past stops. When he came over from the Carolina Panthers in 2024, he figured he’d import the shot custom to D.C.

“When he got into the league, his vets did that for him,” Medrano said. “So he kind of carried on the tradition.”

At first, Medrano was hesitant.

“Obviously, coming in as a rookie, I didn’t really know how to feel,” he said.

But ...

“It has its pros,” he joked.

For one, the players believe it’s a bonding experience for a group that has been through it all.

“We all talk about it,” Medrano said.

The core of this defense rode the wave of star quarterback Jayden Daniels’ rookie season to the NFC championship game in 2024. But they crashed to the bottom of the standings last year as injuries decimated the roster, finishing 5-12 and missing the postseason.

This year is still young, but it’s looking like a rerun of 2025. The Commanders have trudged to a 1-3-1 start and feature an injury report stocked with 15 starters. Maybe they could use a little alcohol.

But the linebackers are convinced the shots go beyond a social function. They think it helps them in a game.

“For the most part, yeah,” Medrano said. “It gets your blood flowing. You get that feeling that, after that, it’s time to go out and rock.”

There might be science behind that sentiment.

Dr. Sabrina Jennings, a neuropsychologist with the Inova Health System in Virginia who specializes in sports psychology, said routines can create tangible effects on a body’s ability to perform.

It is called the Yerkes-Dodson law, which says a person performs at their best when they reach an optimal level of physiological or mental arousal. If somebody is too calm, they won’t perform. Or, if they are too hyped up, that also hinders performance.

And pregame traditions can help get a player into that optimal zone.

“It primes your body for performance,” Jennings said. “If you do something the same way every single time, then your brain is going to respond the same way. It’s going to fire off a certain hormone that you need to perform adequately. Versus, if you switch things up too often, it’s going to take a longer time for your brain to realize that, ‘OK, it’s time to perform. We have to send off different signals.’”

Jennings compared the process to a bedtime routine for children, which helps the body release melatonin for sleep. But, in the case of an NFL player, they need to trigger hormones that will get them in the most heightened state.

“They’re going to need their nervous system to go into that fight-or-flight mode,” she said.

Still, tequila isn’t a bedtime story. Alcohol can have detrimental physical effects immediately after consumption, including “impairing reaction times,” according to Mayo Clinic.

Medrano seemed to think it helps. He talked about the nervous feeling in his body and activating the sensation to hit people for the next four hours.

“You got the tingling sensation going through your body. You are ready to go out there and crash out,” he said.

Although Jennings suggested listening to upbeat music or maybe taking a few jumps could work, a routine is powerful.

“It is different for every athlete,” she said.

Not the first time

Although the Washington linebackers might be first ones drinking in the parking lot on Sunday mornings, they aren’t the first NFL players to imbibe before games.

Former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch famously said he took shots of Hennessy before suiting up. Former Washington running back Clinton Portis said he did the same.

“Just adrenaline. You know, you take a shot and you were done with it,” Portis said.

It’s similar to what the current linebackers are doing.

This week, the Commanders are playing the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football.” They desperately need a win to have any chance of making the playoffs. Accordingly, fans will be out in force across the region at bars and restaurants to watch the primetime game.

Hours before, the linebackers will tip one back, too.

A quick shot of tequila. Then they have a season to save.