Former NFL players of Iranian descent join call for freedom from Islamic regime

Ali Haj Sheikh and Shar Pourdanesh share the truth about their retirement NFL Players who live outside the glare of the NFL lights. But they also share another distinction that links them to current events: they are part of the Iranian diaspora that hopes for the downfall of the Islamic Revolution.

They form part of a small group of men who have played in the NFL — along with David Bakhtiari, his brother Eric Bakhtiari, and TJ Hosmandzadeh — and are of Iranian descent.

Washington Redskins linebacker Ali Haj Sheikh (6) speaks to reporters at Jack Murphy Stadium during media day before Super Bowl XXII against the Denver Broncos. San Diego, California, on January 26, 1988. (Darr Beiser/USA TODAY Sports)

Haj Sheikh: Self-determination for Iranians

Haji Sheikh, 65 years old, played for the national team in the 1980s new york giants, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. He was a first-team All-Pro, made the Pro Bowl and was a member of the NFL All-Rookie team in 1983 for the Giants, and in his final season, he won a Super Bowl XXII ring while playing for the Washington Redskins and kicked six extra points in a 42-10 blowout over the Denver Broncos.

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Now General Manager of the Michigan Porsche and Audi dealership, Haji Sheikh is like the rest of us: keeping up with world events when time allows.

Except the war that the United States is currently waging against the Islamic Republic of Iran is somewhat different because Haj Sheikh’s father immigrated from Iran to the United States in the 1950s and built a life here.

His son would like to see freedom come to a country he has never visited but is related to.

“It is a global event,” Haj Sheikh said on Monday. “I’m not a big fan of the Islamic Revolution because I’m not an Islamist. I would like to see the people of Iran able to determine their future rather than having it determined by a few people. It would be nice to see them have a stable government where the people can actually decide how they want things to go.”

Green Bay Packers outfielder Al Del Greco, 10, talks with New York Giants outfielder Ali Haj Sheikh, 6, on September 15, 1985, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Giants 23-20.

Iranians celebrate and Americans protest

Hajj Sheikh did not take to the streets of his native Michigan to celebrate the liberation, which had not yet fully materialized a few days after the American and Israeli bombing and elimination of the Ayatollah.

“I am far from that,” Haj Sheikh said. “My mother is from Michigan and from an Eastern European background. My father is from Iran. But it’s like he hasn’t been back since I was in eighth grade, so it’s been a long time. That was when the Shah was still in power, in the mid-1970s, ’74 or ’75, because if he had come back then he never would have left. They would have detained him, so there was no intention of coming back.”

“But if things change he might want to leave, you never know.”

Although excluded from any activity on what is happening in Iran, Haji Sheikh is an astute observer.

“My favorite thing I see on TV right now is Iranians in America celebrating, because there is an opportunity, a glimpse, maybe a hope for freedom,” Haj Sheikh said. “And you have these people in New York protesting. What are you protesting against?”

Bordanesh thanks America and Israel

Bordanich retired from the NFL in 2000 after a seven-year stint with the Redskins and Steelers. The six-foot-six, 312-pound offensive tackle was born in Tehran. He proudly tells people that he was the first Iranian-born player in the NFL.

Burdanesh is more clear and open about his feelings about his country than others. The bottom line is that he would love for President Donald Trump to bomb the Islamic regime.

“This is a great day for all Iranians around the world,” Pourdanish wrote on his Instagram account on Saturday when the war began. “Thank you, President Trump, thank you to the State of Israel. Thank you to everyone who stood up for my people, my brothers and sisters in Iran and all over the world. This is a great day.

“The notorious dictator is dead – the one person who contributed to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iranians and other people around the world, if not more. So, congratulations to my Iranian brothers and sisters. Now, go and take back the country.”

This message was not a one-time thing. Pourdanish has been reporting on what’s happening in Iran since January, when people in Iran took to the streets demanding freedom and government thugs started killing them, along with… Some estimates rise to 36,500 deaths.

Offensive lineman Char Burdanich (68) of the Pittsburgh Steelers tackles defensive lineman Jevon Kearse (90) of the Tennessee Titans during a game at Three Rivers Stadium on September 24, 2000, in Pittsburgh. The Giants defeated the Steelers 23-20. (Photo by George Gojkovic/Getty Images)

“Islam does not represent the Iranian people”

“[The] Pourdanesh said in another post: The Islamic Republic does not represent the Iranian people. Islam does not represent the Iranian people. For nearly 50 years, the Iranian people and our Iranian country have been held hostage by a terrorist regime, and it is time to overthrow this regime.”

Bordanesh was not available for comment Monday. I spoke with a few other Iranian Americans on Monday. They didn’t play in the NFL, but their opinions are just as valuable as those of former NFL players.

These people, some of whom participate in pro-free Iran rallies, do not understand the thinking of some Americans and the mainstream media.

One complained that media outlets that report on reparations for black Americans based on slavery in the 19th century dismiss the Muslim takeover of the US embassy in 1979 as an old grievance.

Another said his brother lives in England, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer immediately described US and Israeli attacks on the Ayatollah’s regime as “unlawful”, but as chief prosecutor, it took years to do the same to the country’s Islamic rape (grooming) gangs.

(Starmer announced a national “statutory inquiry” in June 2025.)

Offensive lineman Char Burdanich of the Washington Redskins looks on from the sideline during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium on September 7, 1997, in Pittsburgh. The Steelers defeated the Redskins 14-13. (Photo by George Gojkovic/Getty Images)

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Bordanich calls for NFL silence

Finally, Bordanesh put the NFL on blast. He said in another post that throughout his career, the NFL asked him to respect black history, asked him to stand up for women’s rights, and asked him to fight for equality for those who cannot defend themselves.

“I’ve done everything they asked, and now I ask the NFL this: Where are you now? Why haven’t we heard a word from the NFL? The NFL, Commissioner Roger Goodell, all the NFL teams out there, all the players who say they stand for social justice, where are you now?”

“Why haven’t we heard a single word from you regarding the people who were killed until today? The very values ​​you claim to espouse are now being trampled upon. Why haven’t we heard a single word?”

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