Germany is experiencing NFL fever, and in the US, it was a German NFL professional who caused a stir and sent a special greeting to the US President in the stands.
NFL professional player Amon-Ra St. Brown celebrated his eighth goal of the season with a greeting to US President Donald Trump. The 26-year-old Detroit Lions football player performed some dance moves against the Washington Commanders that were very similar to those Trump often performs at campaign events. Previously, St. Brown pointed towards the stands. At this point in the first quarter, Trump had not yet arrived at his seat and had not witnessed the celebrations in person. Air Force One, the US President’s plane, flew low over Commander Stadium minutes earlier.
It was the Lions’ second goal of the night; running back Jahmyr Gibbs earlier scored a touchdown for the Lions. The Lions won the game 44:22, quarterback Jared Goff impressed with three touchdown passes and a gain of 320 yards without a bad pass. Gibbs finished the game with two goals.
St. German-American Brown wears a German flag on his helmet. He’s not the first NFL player to imitate Trump’s somewhat awkward dance moves. Especially in the weeks after last year’s election victory, NFL professionals imitated the so-called Trump dance while celebrating.
According to US media citing the NFL, Trump is only the third US president to watch a National Football League primary round game live on site. Before him, only Richard Nixon in 1969 and Jimmy Carter in 1978 had done this. Trump even gave an interview to Fox broadcasters during the game, commenting on game scenes and, when asked why he loves sports so much, said: “I love it so much, it’s a microcosm of life. It’s like life: the good, the bad and the ugly.”
Trump has attended a number of sporting events since the start of his second term as president, including the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at the end of last season, the US Open in tennis and the Ryder Cup in golf. Security precautions must be greatly enhanced at all times.
There was a reason why he visited Commander Washington. There was a recent statement from the White House that Trump wanted the new Commander Stadium to be named after him. A senior White House official was quoted by ESPN as saying, “That’s what the president wants. And it will probably happen.”
The new stadium will primarily serve as the home of the Washington Commanders football team. It is planned for about 65,000 seats and will be built on the eastern edge of the city on the site of the dilapidated RFK Stadium. The cost is estimated at around 3.8 billion dollars (3.2 billion euros). As part of the project, a complete redesign of the district is also planned – with shops, apartments and green spaces.
The previous stadium on the Anacostia River, about two miles from the Capitol, is no longer usable. The Commanders have not played there since 1996, but at Northwest Stadium in neighboring Maryland.
dpa/from
