Pro Football Player From Anne Arundel County Competing For Championship This Weekend

SHADY SIDE, MD — A professional football player from Shady Side is competing for the XFL Championship this Saturday.

Defensive back DeJuan Neal hopes to win the title with his local team, the D.C. Defenders.

Neal graduated from Southern High School in Harwood. He then played Division II college ball at Shepherd University in West Virginia.

After college, 7News reported that Neal bounced between the XFL and the USFL. Both start-up professional leagues are spring and summer counterparts of the NFL.

Pro Football Talk said Neal also got a taste of the NFL last summer, playing for the Washington Commanders during training camp.

Neal has found a new home with the D.C. Defenders, which is the closest XFL team to his native Anne Arundel County.

The 26-year-old told 7News that he loves the traditions that Defender fans have started at their home stadium of Audi Field. He mentioned the beer snake, a stack of finished beer cups that grows throughout the game, and the touchdown lemon toss as some of his favorites.

"The fans, they bought into the culture," Neal told 7News. "We feed off their energy, you know what I'm saying. I love our fans, I love how they come out and support us. When teams score touchdowns, I love when they throw the lemons on the field, all that is exciting, the beer snake and all that."

The Defenders (9-1) will take on the Arlington Renegades of Texas (4-6) this Saturday at 8 p.m. ET. The championship will air on ABC, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes. San Antonio, Texas will host the game in the Alamodome.

To learn more about Neal's journey, read the full story from 7News.