Johnny Newton and his fellow rookies were victims of hazing from their Washington Commanders teammates.
On Monday night, the rookies picked up the team’s tab for its end-of-season meal. It’s clear Newton wasn’t pleased, as the Commanders spent thousands of dollars that evening.
A clip from Phidarian Mathis’ Instagram Story shows that the Commanders drank and dined in style, with the bill reaching $9,547.54. In the clip, Newton can be heard saying, “Fuck outta here” when he saw the total.
Another video from Daron Payne shows a server pouring him some expensive liquor—and an image shows the dinner’s total again with Payne shouting out the team's rookies, Norell Pollard, Newton, and Javontae Jean-Baptiste.
Per TMZ, while the meal wasn’t cheap, Newton could afford it. This year, the defensive tackle signed a four-year, $9,757,990 contract with the Commanders.
This hazing tradition isn't new. According to CBS Sports, having rookies pay for an expensive dinner is an extremely popular way to haze newcomers in the NFL. One of the most well-known dinner bills is from 2010 when Dez Bryant had to pay for a $55,000 dinner in Dallas.
Tom Brady is also known to rack up quite the bill. In 2022, former NFL running back Fred Taylor told The Pivot podcast that when he played for the New England Patriots, the bill came out to $50,000 to $60,000 one time because “Tom would come in there and buy a three, four, five thousand dollar bottle of wine.”
Taylor revealed that after ordering the wine, Brady would "take one sip, quit it, and say goodnight."