Washington Commanders linebacker Kain Medrano opened the door on a pregame habit that is about as unconventional as it gets in the NFL.
According to The Banner, Washington’s linebackers gather in the parking lot on game-day mornings and take tequila shots together before going inside. Medrano, a second-year linebacker and sixth-round pick out of UCLA, said the routine helps get everyone locked in.
“It gets your blood flowing. You get that feeling that, after that, it’s time to go out and rock,” Medrano said.
The ritual is not an old Commanders tradition. Frankie Luvu brought it over from Carolina in 2024, and Medrano said he first learned about it as a rookie. His initial reaction was mixed.
“I didn’t really know how to feel about it at first,” he confessed.
Medrano also said, “When he got into the league, his vets did that for him,” referring to Luvu.
The timing is notable for a Washington team sitting at 1-3-1 after an embarrassing 27-27 overtime tie with the New York Giants and a 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in London. Medrano, meanwhile, was responsible for one of the brighter moments in the home opener and appears to have settled in quickly with the team’s relatively new surroundings.
The Banner also included a medical perspective on routines like this. Dr.
Sabrina Jennings, a neuropsychologist with Inova Health System, said rituals can help athletes reach an optimal level of arousal. “It primes your body for performance,” Jennings said.
She also pointed out the downside, noting that alcohol can impair reactions and citing the Mayo Clinic. Jennings added that every athlete responds differently.
Washington’s linebackers are not the first to use alcohol as part of a pregame routine. The Banner noted that Marshawn Lynch and Clinton Portis took Hennessy shots before games. Portis, who played running back for Washington, kept his explanation simple.
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