The Athletic has live coverage of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

While former players trolling their rivals has become an annual ritual of the NFL Draft, a message (real or fake) from the president is not. Former Packers linebacker Clay Matthews squeezed both into a brief speech while on stage at Thursday’s draft in Green Bay, Wis.

Matthews, appearing alongside Roger Goodell before the start of the first round, apologized to the NFL commissioner for going “off script” before sharing his “message.”

“I just got off the phone with the president, Donald Trump,” he said. “He asked me to pass a message along to all 32 NFL franchises. Let me tell you what it reads here, all right?

“It says, ‘My fellow Americans, the Bears still suck!’” Matthews unfurled a piece of paper to show the joke to the roaring crowd.

In addition to Goodell, who was met with boos by the crowd in another draft tradition, Matthews appeared alongside former Packers stars Jordy Nelson, Mason Crosby, Ahman Green and James Jones — and rapper Lil Wayne, a noted Packers fan.

His Bears ribbing was the latest notable moment of a player teasing a rival at the draft, joining past interactions such as former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson egging on a booing crowd of Phialdelphia Eagles fans at the 2017 draft and ex-Eagle David Akers reciprocating with a dig at the Cowboys the following year.

Matthews, 38, enjoyed a decade of success against the Bears while a Packer from 2009 to 2018. He ended his career with a 16-3 record against Chicago, with 9 1/2 sacks against Bears quarterbacks.

(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)