ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The Washington Commanders said they have fired an employee after he was shown making derogatory comments about players and fans in undercover video posted on social media.

A team spokesperson said Thursday that vice president of content Rael Enteen had been terminated. Enteen was initially suspended pending an internal investigation after he said on video posted by O’Keefe Media Group that some players were dumb and homophobic and called fans “high school-educated alcoholics” and “mouth breathers.”

The team spokesperson said Wednesday after the post came to light, “The language used in the video runs counter to our values at the Commanders organization.”

James O’Keefe, who founded the company last year, told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday the videos were taken during two dates in June in Washington. O’Keefe said Enteen and the woman who filmed the interactions met on a dating app.

Also in the videos, Enteen criticized NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. He called Goodell “a $50 million puppet” and the league’s social justice efforts performative.

Enteen, who had been with the team since 2020, also said in the video that he believes Jones “hates gay people and Black people.”

A message sent to a league spokesperson Wednesday seeking comment had not been returned by Thursday. The Cowboys did not respond to a request for comment.

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AP Pro Football Writer Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Daniels asked Dan Quinn if he could pull aside newly signed receiver Noah Brown and work with him after practice to get him up to speed quickly.

“That’s exactly what you’d hope to hear from a player: ‘Why would we wait till Monday when I can start on this today?’’ Quinn said. “Jayden has that mindset to him.”

It was the latest example of the Washington Commanders’ rookie face of the franchise looking the part as their starting quarterback ahead of his NFL debut Sept. 8 at Tampa Bay. The No. 2 pick out of LSU continues to show the maturity that made Quinn, the coaching staff and the rest of the origination feel ready to put him under center right away in Week 1.

Daniels is coming off winning the Heisman Trophy as college football’s top player and is shouldering lofty hopes, but he is projecting realistic expectations.

“It’s not going to be a finished product Week 1, but just try to get better and go out there and go through some growing pains,” Daniels said Thursday. “You know you’re a rookie. You’re not going to have everything perfect. You can strive for perfection, but it’s not going to be perfect. It’s going to be ups and downs.”

Daniels is one of three rookie QBs set to open the season as the starter, along with Chicago’s Caleb Williams, taken first in the draft, and Denver’s Bo Nix, who went 12th. New England earlier Thursday selected Jacoby Brissett — who coincidentally was with Washington last season while seeing zero game action — the starter over No. 3 pick Drake Maye, while Michael Penix will back up Kirk Cousins after going eighth and Minnesota’s JJ McCarthy is out for the season with an injury.

“I’ll just go out there and just play ball,” Daniels said. “To be able to have the opportunity to go out there and play my first professional football game in the regular season, it’s going to mean a lot — not only for me for but my family.”

Quinn limited practice time this week and is giving players an extra long weekend off before beginning preparations for the Buccaneers. He wants his team, staff included, to get away from football and enjoy the Labor Day holiday.

Still, Daniels is already well-versed with who he’ll be going up against.

“A very sound defense,” Daniels said of Tampa Bay. “Obviously what Todd Bowles does over there and his track record as a defensive coordinator, everything speaks for itself. They got a very savvy veteran in Lavonte David controlling the defense. He knows what’s going to go on, so we’ve got to go out there and we’ve just got to execute.”

Daniels went into offseason workouts splitting first-team snaps with veteran Marcus Mariota, and it was clear when training camp started the rookie was in line to be the starter — Washington’s eighth different QB to open a season in as many years. Following two preseason games and plenty of practice time, Quinn selected Daniels as the starter.

Teammates have not seen anything different since.

“He kind of took control of the huddle week even with no pads on,” said rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman, who is also expected to start. “Then, when stuff got faster that second week, that guy, he never slowed down. I think these games and then also just the practices leading up just kind of helped him excel even more to where he’s at.

“I’m excited to see what he’s going to do next week.”

NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother were killed on the eve of their sister’s wedding when they were hit by a suspected drunken driver while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey, police said Friday.

New Jersey State Police said the Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township on Thursday night when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind about 8 p.m., less than a half-hour after sunset. They were pronounced dead at the scene some 35 miles south of Philadelphia.

Gaudreau, 31, and brother, Matt, 29, are Carneys Point, New Jersey, natives and were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding that was scheduled for Friday in Philadelphia.

Police said the driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Higgins told a responding officer he had five or six beers prior to the crash and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint obtained by The Associated Press. He failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said, though his blood-alcohol level was not immediately available.

Higgins was jailed at a Salem County facility and will remain there until his pretrial detention hearing, which is scheduled for Sept. 5. A court spokesperson said Higgins at his first appearance Friday was represented by a public defender but indicated he planned to hire his own attorney. Public defenders in New Jersey do not comment on cases.

Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.

“Just devastating news for all of us connected with the Gaudreau family,” Jerry York, who coached the Gaudreau brothers at Boston College, said in a phone interview with the AP. “Both Matty and Johnny were terrifically admired by all of us. Wonderful young guys, and they impressed a lot of us off the ice.”

York raved about parents Guy and Jane and the family’s dedication to their children and hockey. Gaudreau had been married to his wife, Meredith, since 2021, and they have two children under 2, Noa, who was born in September 2022, and Johnny, who was born in February.

“We want to let everyone know we are receiving your messages of love and support, and we appreciated your continued thoughts and prayers,” an uncle, Jim Gaudreau, said in a statement on behalf of the families involved. “We ask for your continued respect and privacy during this very difficult period of grief.”

Fans laid flowers and hockey sticks for Gaudreau outside Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus and outside the Flames’ home rink in Calgary. Tributes reverberated near and far, with moments of silence in Cincinnati before a Major League Baseball game between the Reds and Milwaukee Brewers and prior to an Olympic qualifying hockey game between Slovakia and Hungary in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava.

The Blue Jackets said Gaudreau “was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend.”

“Johnny played the game with great joy which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice,” the team said in a statement. “He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played.”

Gaudreau’s death is the latest off-ice tragedy for the Blue Jackets. Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks died in July 2021 when he was struck in the chest by a firework while attending the wedding of then-Blue Jackets goaltending coach Manny Legace’s daughter in Michigan.

Gaudreau, at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, was part of a generation of hockey players who thrived in an era of speed and skill that made being undersized less of a disadvantage. Winner of the Lady Byng Trophy in 2017 for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of play, he scored 20-plus goals six times and was a 115-point player in 2021-22 as a first-time NHL All-Star when he had a career-best 40 goals and 75 assists.

“While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.

NHL Players’ Association executive director Marty Walsh said players and staff were devastated by these losses, calling Johnny “a beloved teammate and friend in both Calgary and Columbus (and) a joy to watch during his 10 years and 763 games in the NHL.”

A fourth-round pick by Calgary in 2011, Gaudreau had helped Boston College win the NCAA championship in 2012 and took home the Hobey Baker Award as the top college player in the country in 2014 — a season he and his brother played together for the Eagles.

Gaudreau was a nearly point-a-game player with 776 points in 805 regular-season and playoff games since breaking into the league. In 2022, he left the Flames to sign a big contract with the Blue Jackets that put him and his young family in central Ohio, closer to his family in New Jersey.

Social media was full of messages about Gaudreau, from USA Hockey to the Flames and beyond the sport itself. Former Flames teammate Blake Coleman posted that he was “completely gutted. The world just lost one of the best.” Retired goaltender Eddie Lack called Gaudreau one of his favorite teammates.

“Always happy, always spreading positivity around him,” Lack said. “Rest in Peace my friend and prayers for your wonderful family.”

NBA superstar LeBron James, who is from Akron, Ohio, said he instantly got sad after seeing the news.

“My thoughts and prayers goes out to the Gaudreau family,” James said. “May Johnny and Matthew fly high, guide/guard and bless their family/s from the heavens above.”

The tragedy comes as the Blue Jackets and other NHL teams prepare to open training camp for the season in about three weeks.

“We will miss him terribly and do everything that we can to support his family and each other through this tragedy,” the team said.

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AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston, Associated Press writer Bruce Shipkowski and AP Hockey Writer John Wawrow contributed.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

The team announced an eight-year deal to rename the place that was known as FedEx Field from 1999 until several months ago. FedEx ended its naming-rights agreement in February, two years before it was set to expire, making it Commanders Field on a temporary basis.

This one is worth more on average than the $7.5 million annually FedEx paid for naming rights under the previous $205 million agreement, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial terms were not released.

“Northwest Federal Credit Union has been an integral part of this community for generations, and we could not be prouder to partner with an organization as committed to the DMV as we are,” managing owner Josh Harris said in a statement, referring to the Washington area that includes the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. “As we continue to work toward our goal of building the Commanders into an elite franchise that consistently competes for championships, we are excited to welcome our team and fans to Northwest Stadium and look forward to creating incredible memories together on the field and in the communities we serve.”

Washington’s first game at the newly renamed stadium will be Sept. 15 against the New York Giants. The deal with Northwest Federal Credit Union also puts the company’s logo on the team’s practice jerseys.

“Northwest is thrilled to continue building on the great work we have achieved alongside the Commanders,” said Jeff Bentley, president and CEO of Northwest Federal Credit Union, which is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, not far from the team’s practice facility in Ashburn. “This expanded partnership was an amazing alignment of our values to enrich the local community.”

Harris said Sunday before the preseason finale against New England he was hopeful Washington would have a new stadium by 2030.

“It’s a target,” Harris said. “A lot of it’s not within our control, so there’s no way to predict a specific date, but I think that’s a reasonable target.”

The current lease at the stadium in Landover, Maryland, runs through 2027, and the new naming-rights deal does not preclude the team from opening a new one before the deal’s completion in 2032. Places in D.C., Maryland and Virginia are still being considered, including the site of the old RFK Stadium, roughly 2 miles east of the U.S. Capitol that would take the team back to where it played games from 1961-96 before moving to Landover.

Returning to RFK is a popular option, but still requires a congressional bill to pass to return the land to the district. Harris does not expect anything on that front until after the election in November.

“We’re working super hard,” he said. “A lot of good stuff going on, and very positive, but not a lot to share.”

He is a six-time All-Pro selection, a Super Bowl champion and should be fitted for a gold Hall of Fame jacket when he retires. But because he is not ready for that step just yet, the veteran linebacker is embracing a very new challenge, leaving his comfort zone on the West Coast in Seattle to be a leader and mentor for the rebuilding Commanders.

“You just share your scars,” Wagner said. “A lot of things that you can’t learn from youth, you can learn from experience. So people that can give that knowledge and give that insight — things that I did my rookie year, my second year, third year — and try to have you avoid some of those mistakes. I think that’s probably the biggest thing.”

Even before playing a game in burgundy and gold, the coaching staff has noticed Wagner making an impact on teammates young and old alike. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the new face of the franchise after being taken with the second pick in the draft, is eager to pick Wagner’s brain, soak up some information and learn strong habits — and he is not alone in that desire.

“You just go to him to get some knowledge,” said defensive tackle Daron Payne, who’s going into his seventh NFL season. “Just a good vet guy that you can go to, talk to about anything.”

Coach Dan Quinn, whose first defensive coordinator job in the league came with the Seahawks in 2013, still remembers Wagner — then in just his second professional season — answering every question posed about what was being introduced.

Now, Quinn watches Wagner pull other players aside to point things out to discuss a type of coverage or concept and is proud of the 34-year-old’s evolution to this stage of his career.

“This is a rare competitor,” Quinn said. “When you look back on it, some of the people that mentored (him), now that’s a way to pay it forward. And so that’s one of the coolest parts of our game is when now you get to pass that along to the next one, and the very best players do that.”

Wagner learned from a young age from Seattle teammates Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman and took it a step further, talking to legendary linebackers such as Mike Singletary and Ray Lewis about how to command a unit. He believes he was blessed to have natural leaders around him and has tried to grow into that role.

“Those guys I had a chance to learn from, and when it was my opportunity, I try to take advantage of it,” Wagner said. “I think the middle linebacker position, always naturally you’re a leader because you call the plays, you have to relay the messages and you’re the one that tends to communicate the most in most cases.”

New general manager Adam Peters and Quinn did not sign Wagner to a contract worth up to $8.5 million to just be a teacher. He is expected to help transform Washington’s defense that ranked last among 32 teams last season as one of several new faces.

“It’s major, especially when you have a whole new defense,” defensive end Clelin Ferrell said. “It’s major having a leader like that, somebody who leads by example.”

That example is something fellow vets such as defensive tackle Jonathan Allen hopes is contagious, filtering down from Wagner to the rest of the roster.

“He just brings a winning presence, a winning culture the way he works every day,” Allen said. “And when you see a guy like that who I think is in year 13 — a first-ballot Hall of Famer — work as hard as he does, there’s really no excuse for anybody else.”

With all that in mind, Daniels is undoubtedly the focal point of Washington Commanders training camp that opened Wednesday, with all eyes on the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU who instantly became the face of the reinvigorated franchise when he was taken with the second pick in the NFL draft this past spring.

Barring injury or unforeseen struggles over the next month, Daniels is on track to be Washington’s eighth different Week 1 starting QB in as many seasons — a revolving door the organization would love to stop spinning. But first, it is up to the 23-year-old to show teammates and coaches he is up to the task of developing into a professional in an already bright spotlight.

“It’s not a secret, but it is a journey and a process,” Quinn said of Daniels earning the No. 1 job. “As we’re going, when he’s ready, we will know. And when he’s ready, he’ll also know.”

He starts out sharing snaps with veteran Marcus Mariota, whose signing foreshadowed the Commanders taking Daniels, with the longtime backup — the No. 2 pick in 2015 — serving in a mentoring role. Around them are top receiver Terry McLaurin, 2022 first-round pick Jahan Dotson, holdover running back Brian Robinson Jr. and some new offensive additions, including Austin Ekeler and Zach Ertz.

The expectation is not to be among the league’s top teams right away, but rather build around Daniels, who has publicly projected nothing but humility about the role he has assumed.

“I’m focused on learning, focus on going out here and keep competing every day and having fun, bringing that energy and that joy and that competitiveness to the team,” Daniels said recently. “We want to compete in everything that we do, so I’m out here just trying to do my job and that’s getting the 11 people on my side of the ball to go the same direction.”

There’s a lot of room to improve. Washington had the 24th-ranked offense last season, when Sam Howell started all 17 games, and the coaching staff went pass-heavy.

Howell has since been traded to Seattle to clear room for Daniels, who has impressed teammates with his talent and work ethic.

“He wants to be great,” McLaurin said Wednesday. “A lot of the things he just naturally has the ability to have a feel for the game, which is very unique for any quarterback, let alone a rookie.”

Veteran offensive lineman Cornelius Lucas, the leading candidate to protect Daniels’ blind side at left tackle, sees Daniels not look at all like a rookie.

“He seems experienced already,” Lucas said. “Quick learner. Quick on his feet.”

Right tackle Andrew Wylie, one of the key holdovers from the organization’s previous regime along with Lucas, said he “knew immediately that guy was special” starting in offseason workouts in the spring. The respect and admiration for Daniels is only growing with each practice.

“He’s a great leader of this offense,” Wylie said. “He’s truly a gunslinger. He can do it all, man. The sky’s the limit for that kid.”

Notes: Rookie DT Johnny Newton was activated off the non-football injury list following offseason surgery on his left foot. … DE Efe Obada opened camp on the physically unable to perform list.

The old turf field with the old logo is being torn up and replaced, and their practice facility is abuzz with construction projects all over.

Josh Harris’ ownership group has been in charge for just over a year now, and the organization’s transformation is now fully on display. When training camp opens Wednesday, new coach Dan Quinn will oversee a team almost totally remade by new general manager Adam Peters.

Only a third of the camp roster was around last summer, and the fresh faces from rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner give the franchise a much-needed clean slate.

“I love each of the years because not every year is exactly the same,” Quinn said at a camp-opening news conference Tuesday. “But you only get one first shot with a whole new group, and we’re not going to miss that shot.”

Not missing starts with Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 pick in the draft who has become the centerpiece of this latest rebuilding effort. Unlike Chicago with top selection Caleb Williams, the Commanders are not yet anointing Daniels their Week 1 starter, with Quinn saying, “When he’s ready, we’ll know.”

They are ready to let that process play out in the coming weeks, with Daniels sharing snaps on the practice field and in preseason games with Marcus Mariota.

“It’s not one-size-fits-all,” Peters said. “You don’t want to fast-track it. You don’t want to slow it down. You just want to let it happen naturally.”

What Peters also hopes comes naturally is teamwide competition, the result of signing more than a dozen free agents with no prior connection to the organization and making nine draft picks to fill holes well beyond quarterback. He was looking for a certain type of player throughout the offseason of change, and more roster turnover could happen before Washington opens the season Sept. 8 at Tampa Bay.

“We’re thrilled about the 90 guys we have here,” said Peters who is in his first role as an NFL GM after a decorated front office career with stops in Denver, New England and most recently working under John Lynch with San Francisco. “(Quinn) preaches competition every day, so we’re always going to look at ways to improve the roster. But as it sits now, we feel great about the guys we have.”

Some of the holdovers are foundational pieces, such as top wide receiver Terry McLaurin, running back Brian Robinson Jr. and defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. But after going 43-71-1 over the past seven seasons with one playoff berth — also a loss — to show for it, there was reason to start almost from scratch in Washington.

The offensive line could have three new starters. Austin Ekeler is now part of the backfield mix. And Wagner and Frankie Luvu are at the forefront of a defense that behind Allen and Payne is virtually unrecognizable from the unit that ranked last in the league last season.

That kind of change should be good after the Commanders bottomed out at 4-13 in Ron Rivera’s fourth and final season as coach and head of football operations. Their win total over/under for this season is 6.5 on BetMGM Sportsbook, which is setting a low external expectation.

As for what team brass thinks a successful season might be, neither Quinn nor Peters was willing to show his hand, deferring instead to the idea that it begins with forming an identity and good habits that they hope will eventually show in victories when it matters.

“How fast or slow that goes, there’s so many different things that are variables in all that,” Peters said. “But I can tell you that you’re going to see a great effort team, a competitive team playing fast and physical.”

A team spokesperson confirmed Thursday that Wright is departing the organization and will remain in a senior advisory role for the time being while the search for his successor is ongoing. That is expected to get underway soon as the ownership group, led by Josh Harris, that assumed control last year continues to reshape the franchise.

“This feels like the right moment for me to explore my next leadership opportunity,” Wright said. “We have taken this franchise through a period of immense challenge and uncertainty and have transformed it. We’ve set the table for an incredibly bright future under Josh’s leadership.”

Wright is expected to maintain similar responsibilities in the coming months, specifically focusing on a naming-rights deal and the process of determining a new stadium site and further developments on that front. The team’s lease at the stadium formerly known as FedEx Field is set to expire in 2027.

Hired in the summer of 2020 by former owner Dan Snyder, Wright was immediately tasked with being one of the faces of the organization in tumult, along with then-coach and head of football operations Ron Rivera. A former running back who then went into business, Wright helped steer the organization through a rebranding effort that ended with the new name, Commanders.

When Harris and his group bought the team from Snyder, a North American professional sports-record $6.05 billion sale approved unanimously by league owners in July 2023, Wright remained in his role throughout the transition.

Harris said Wright made a remarkable impact during his time in charge.

“He stepped in at a time of immense challenge and has led this organization through an incredible transformation that set that stage for everything that is to come,” Harris said. “I am extremely grateful to Jason for his partnership to me and the rest of the ownership group over the past year. His guidance has been invaluable and his leadership has helped reshape our culture.”

Wright, 42, pointed to fans returning and a reconnection with the community as some of the accomplishments he was proudest of. He added, “Most importantly, we re-established a culture of respect in this organization.”

A team spokesperson confirmed Thursday that Wright is departing the organization and will remain in a senior advisory role for the time being while the search for his successor is ongoing. That is expected to get underway soon as the ownership group led by Josh Harris that assumed control last year continues to reshape the franchise.

“This feels like the right moment for me to explore my next leadership opportunity,” Wright said. “We have taken this franchise through a period of immense challenge and uncertainty and have transformed it. We’ve set the table for an incredibly bright future under Josh’s leadership.”

Wright is expected to maintain similar responsibilities in the coming months, specifically focusing on a naming rights deal and the process of determining a new stadium site and further developments on that front. The team’s lease at the stadium formerly known as FedEx Field is set to expire in 2027.

Hired in the summer of 2020 by former owner Dan Snyder, Wright was immediately tasked with being one of the faces of the organization in tumult, along with then-coach and head of football operations Ron Rivera. A former running back who then went into business, Wright helped steer the organization through a rebranding effort that ended with the new name, Commanders.

When Harris and his group bought the team from Snyder, a North American professional sports record $6.05 billion sale approved unanimously by league owners in July 2023, Wright remained in his role throughout the transition.

Harris said Wright made a remarkable impact during his time in charge.

“He stepped in at a time of immense challenge and has led this organization through an incredible transformation that set that stage for everything that is to come,” Harris said. “I am extremely grateful to Jason for his partnership to me and the rest of the ownership group over the past year. His guidance has been invaluable and his leadership has helped reshape our culture.”

Wright, 42, pointed to fans returning and a reconnection with the community as some of the accomplishments he was proudest of from the past year on the job. He added, “Most importantly, we re-established a culture of respect in this organization.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The $1.3 million settlement with Virginia includes returning $600,000 to nearly 500 fans who were affected. The team settled similar suits with Maryland in 2022 and the District of Columbia in 2023.

“Our investigation found that the Commanders’ prior ownership unlawfully retained security deposits for years after they should have been returned to consumers,” Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said. “I thank the team’s current ownership for cooperating with this investigation, and for working toward rectifying the consumer harm we identified.”

Dan Snyder owned the team at the time. A group led by Josh Harris bought the Commanders last year for a North American professional sports record $6.05 billion.

“We are pleased that this settlement has been reached resolving issues that occurred under prior ownership,” the Commanders said in a statement.

Along with the $600,000, the team agreed to pay $600,000 in civil penalties and another $100,000 for attorneys fees and other costs involved in the investigation, which launched in 2022.