Green Bay Packers legend Clay Matthews sent the 2025 NFL Draft off the rails within minutes of the event kicking off at Lambeau Field Thursday night. 

The former linebacker, who joined NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Lil Wayne on stage to open the draft, stole the mic to use President Donald Trump as a weapon to take aim at his former team’s bitter rivals. 

The 38-year-old stepped up to the podium to claim he had a message to deliver from the Commander-in-Chief himself. 

‘I just got off the phone with the President,’ he claimed to loud cheers from the crowd gathered in Green Bay. 

‘He told me to pᴀss a message along to all 32 NFL franchises,’ Matthews continued, pulling out a piece of paper from this pocket. ‘Let me tell you what it reads. It says, “My fellow Americans, the Bears still suck!”‘

The adoring Packers fans in attendance went wild over the brutal four-word dig aimed at their longtime bitter rivals. 

Clay Matthews oh my goodness no way 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/LJP0tpSulw

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 25, 2025

Green Bay Packers legend Clay Matthews sent the 2025 NFL Draft off the rails Thursday 

The former linebacker claimed that he had a message to deliver from Donald Trump 

As two of the oldest teams in the NFL, the Bears and Packers have been rivals in the same conference or division since the NFL adopted the conference structure on 1933. 

Matthews was part of the Packers entourage to take to the stage to kick off the draft in the franchise’s home town. 

Goodell made the announcement to kick off the draft, which for the first time was held next to historic Lambeau Field. The NFL’s smallest market is hosting the league’s biggest offseason event as thousands of fans from across the country traveled to тιтletown for the festivities.

In bizarre scenes, Goodell rode a bicycle onto the draft stage and was followed by former Packers stars Matthews, Jordy Nelson, Mason Crosby, Ahman Green and James Jones, as well as rap megastar and Green Bay superfan Lil Wayne.

Goodell introduced the group of former players before turning the mic over to Matthews. A moment he likely immediately regretted. 

Matthews then seized his moment, commandeering the mic and declaring that he was about to go off script before making his announcement, 

Matthews himself was the 26th overall pick when he was drafted by Green Bay in 2009. He went on to total 83.5 sacks in his Packers career, making the Pro Bowl six times. 

Despite his well-documented love of the sport, the president was not in attendance at Lambeau Field to witness the league’s future stars be inducted into the NFL. 

Trump had sent the crowd wild in New Orleans in February when he took to the field at Caesars Superdome and made history as the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl game.

The 78-year-old had mingled with New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson and NFL Commissioner Goodell as the Kansas City Chiefs – his pick – were thrashed by the Philadelphia Eagles. 

The occasion, while taking place on football’s biggest stage, wasn’t the first NFL game Trump had attended last season.  

More to follow.