Mike Rogers Lands Final Blow on Abdul El-Sayed’s Football Blunder
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed mocked for calling football "Ohio" and claiming Rogers wasn't a captain. Mike Rogers delivered a sharp response.
The Football Mix-Up
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democrat running for Senate in Michigan, was supposed to land a punch on a national TV interview. That was the plan.
Instead, he told the host he was excited to beat “Ohio” when college football season kicked off. It’s a specific kind of error that catches fire fast in this state. Larry O’Connor from Townhall, a Michigan native, spotted it immediately. He noted that people here know the team is “Ohio State,” not just “Ohio.” The slip-up didn’t just look like a mistake; it made him look out of touch with local fans Per RedState. El-Sayed tried to pivot, linking the football season to Vice President JD Vance’s upcoming visit to Michigan, but the name error swallowed his political point whole.
The Captain Argument
El-Sayed didn’t stop there. He took to social media to attack his opponent, Mike Rogers. He claimed Rogers wasn’t a team captain in high school. El-Sayed wrote that Rogers’ teammates clearly didn’t vote him captain. Then he bragged about his own sports history. “I *was* captain. Football. Wrestling. Lacrosse.”
He called Rogers a “beta” with “beta energy.” It’s a term often used online to describe a man who isn’t tough. El-Sayed added, “Hey @MikeRogersForMI – clearly your teammates didn’t vote you captain.” He signed off with a snarky comment about Rogers repping his school. According to RedState, this move looked like a desperate attempt to seem tough.
Mike Rogers has a real background in service. He served in the U.S. Army. He also worked as an FBI special agent. He investigated organized crime cases. Rogers doesn’t need to prove his toughness with internet insults. His opponent’s attack seemed weak compared to his actual record. How do you fight a former federal agent with a high school nickname?
The Ad and The Apology
Rogers released a new ad on Saturday to counter the attacks. He wore a University of Michigan football jacket. His wife, Kristi, wore a Michigan State t-shirt. The ad focused on the values of the sport. According to reports, his father served as the football coach at Redford Union. I played football all through high school.
He contrasted his experience with El-Sayed’s past words. Rogers pointed out that El-Sayed previously described football as “racist, sexist, and dominated by toxic masculinity.” Rogers stated, “Abdul thinks football is bad, but men playing women’s sports is good. That’s just not who we are in Michigan.”
El-Sayed also faced trouble with other comments. He apologized to Jewish Democrats for a past remark about a synagogue attack. He said his previous words trampled the dignity of the victims. However, he refused to fully distance himself from Hasan Piker. He told reporters, “I am not interested in a conversation about a social media person in California.”
The Final Word
The exchange shows a clear divide between the two candidates. Rogers leans on his real-life experience and local values. El-Sayed relies on social media jabs and internet slang. The campaign continues as both sides prepare for November. Per the Washington Examiner, Rogers closed his ad by calling it a choice between “common sense vs. crazy.”
El-Sayed’s attempt to paint Rogers as weak backfired. Calling a former FBI agent “beta” didn’t help his image. The focus remains on who knows Michigan best. Rogers’ response was simple and direct. He let his record speak for itself while El-Sayed kept talking about high school sports. The choice is between a man who served and a man who calls him names.