The football journey of Donald "Deestroying" De La Haye is one of the most unique in modern sports. The former college kicker, who famously chose his burgeoning YouTube career over his NCAA eligibility, will now be a sideline creator as part of the NFL's Chiefs vs. Chargers primetime broadcast in Brazil. The game will be broadcast live for free on YouTube, making it the first time an NFL regular-season game has streamed exclusively on the platform.
Deestroying will be on the sidelines for the AFC West matchup, as YouTube looks to highlight some of its top content creators. The broadcast will feature a unique blend of traditional announcers and digital-first personalities. Rich Eisen will be on play-by-play duties with Kurt Warner serving as an analyst, while Stacey Dales will be the traditional sideline reporter. Deestroying will be tasked with a new role for the broadcast as a "sideline creator."
Before he opens this new chapter in his career, let's revisit De La Haye's time as a football player.
Who is Deestroying?
Donald De La Haye, better known by his YouTube handle "Deestroying," is a prominent digital media personality and former football player. He is widely known for his comedic and challenge-based content that mixes football skills with entertainment.
Deestroying has made over 900 videos on YouTube and currently has over 6.3 million subscribers.
What happened to Deestroying?
De La Haye gained national attention during his time as a kicker at the University of Central Florida (UCF) in 2017. His YouTube channel had risen in popularity, allowing him to monetize his videos with sponsorships and ads. The NCAA, which had strict rules against student-athletes profiting from their name, image, and likeness (NIL) at the time, gave him an ultimatum: either stop monetizing his videos or lose his college eligibility. He chose his YouTube career, which ultimately led to him losing his scholarship and leaving the team.
De La Haye sued UCF over this matter in July 2018, settling in November 2018 to finish his education at the university. Since that time, Deestroying has racked up over five million subscribers on YouTube, has been invited to football related events including Super Bowls, attended multiple high school and college games with on-field passes and even posted footage of himself at UCF games.
Deestroying's football career
After his career at UCF, Deestroying had a few professional stints in different professional football leagues.
In 2019, De La Haye signed with the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League. After appearing in both preseason games, the Argonauts placed him on the suspended list -- due to limits on American players -- in order to allow him to be free of team obligations and continue to upload videos consistently.
In 2024, De La Haye signed with the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League. He was the team's starting kicker for the 2024 season, but was placed on injured reserve early in the season after suffering multiple neck fractures while making a tackle on a kickoff return. The team did not attempt any field goals before the kicker's injury, and the league format does not allow extra points; but, he tallied 546 yards on eight kickoffs.
He saw a little more action when he returned to the Brahmas for the 2025 season, going 5-for-7 on field goals, with a long of 55 yards.
DEESTROYING CRUSHED THIS FIELD GOAL FROM 55 YARDS 🤯
— ESPN (@espn) April 13, 2025
📺 ABC/ESPN+ @TheUFL | @XFLBrahmas pic.twitter.com/yR0oMEB9Oo
De La Haye's football-playing future remains uncertain whether he gets a shot in the NFL, returns to the UFL or plays for another pro team.