LONDON — Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris climbed atop a bar — with a little help to steady himself — and hoisted a beer and told a packed establishment: “We’ve got one of these for free for everyone in the house.”
His son, Thomas, chugged the beer, and the crowd at this Commanders rally then cheered their free drink. It wasn’t the only beer on the house courtesy of Harris, whose team faces the Indianapolis Colts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
About 90 minutes later, team president Mark Clouse told the crowd: “What the heck, we’re spending money. Let’s open the tab again. More free beer for everybody. Another round on Josh.”
It was all part of a festive atmosphere at the BrewDog in Central London on Saturday afternoon that attracted about 3,000 Commanders fans enjoying themselves in the lively bar full of burgundy and gold balloons.
Which meant, of course, that Harris’ tab was quite hefty. A Commanders spokesperson said the two rounds of drinks cost nearly $50,000.
Before finding out the final total, Harris said he knew it would be “a decent amount.”
“There’s a lot of people here,” he said. “They were like, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Like, yeah, come on. Everyone here deserves it. If you travel across the ocean or get up early in London to watch the Commanders play, we try to take care of you.”
Harris bought a round of drinks when the team played in Madrid last year as well.
On Saturday, fans from Germany and Holland, among other countries, packed the bar along with many from the United States. Some were decked out in gear from head to toe, including one man who said his name was “Washington Road Warrior.”
“That’s what everyone calls me,” he said. He also referred to himself as “Just Road.”
So the “Washington Road Warrior” was at the rally. Asked his real name: “Road”. pic.twitter.com/DSigp6neOz
— John Keim (@john_keim) October 3, 2026
The fan said he has attended all of Washington’s international games — in 2016 and last season — as well as games in every NFL stadium. He even received a key to the city in his honor last year from Prince George’s County, Maryland, for being a superfan.
“[Loyalty], that’s all it’s about,” he said.
He wore a burgundy-and-gold crown and robe, with W’s below each eye, chains around his neck that said “Road Warrior” and “4 THE People,” with shirts that featured the Commanders’ logo and colors.
An engagement even took place at the bar.
As Harris maneuvered through the crowd, fans repeatedly stopped him, wanting a picture. Two women from southern Maryland — one in a white Jayden Daniels jersey and the other with the quarterback’s black jersey — beamed as they took a photo with Harris.
The photo was enough for them. They didn’t need the free drink.
“I don’t drink beer,” Sheila Morris said. “But it’s a wonderful feeling. I’ve been a fan over 25 years; we went to Madrid last year and we had a ball. [This just] makes the fans feel loved.”
Fans at the bar also made it clear that they enjoy the inclusion of a spear knifing through the gold W, which is a nod to helmet logos from 1965 to 1969, on the team’s alternate helmets. The Commanders have incorporated the spear as part of a gladiator theme in pregame videos.
According to a report by Zach Cohen on Friday, the team wants to make the spear logo permanent. One team source said that is the goal for 2027, but several hurdles remain, from branding partnerships to finalizing plans with the NFL.
“I like the spear,” Harris said. “It brings everything together. It brings the special forces and Native Americans and Roman gladiators and warriors. Obviously we had it on our helmet way back.”
But, for now, it was about the beer.
“These guys traveled all this way to be with our team,” Harris said. “It was my pleasure.”
Although he fired up the crowd when it came time to chug, he passed off the beer.
“I had my son chug because I was a little afraid. I don’t know if I could still do it,” Harris said. “You have to go back a ways.”
