Who Is Deestroying? Get to Know the NFL’s YouTube Sideline Reporter
The Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Los Angeles Chargers in a highly anticipated season opener on Friday, September 5, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Fans can catch the live stream on YouTube, which will feature an influencer reporting from the sidelines.
YouTuber Deestroying will take on the role of sideline reporter for the event, teaming up with play-by-play announcer Rich Eisen and analyst Kurt Warner.
This marks a debut for Deestroying, 28, whose real name is Donald De La Haye. Originally from Costa Rica, he relocated to the United States at age 7, later becoming a collegiate football player at the University of Central Florida.
While playing for the Knights, his YouTube channel skyrocketed in popularity, a journey that brought him both fame and trouble with the NCAA.
Since then, he has played professional football, ventured into esports gaming, and continued creating viral content. Keep scrolling for more on YouTube’s latest sideline reporter:
Deestroying’s YouTube Channel Boasts Over 6 Million Subscribers
Deestroying created his channel in 2015, coinciding with his enrollment at UCF. It steadily gained traction while he played as a placekicker for the Knights, until the NCAA discovered he was monetizing the channel — a violation for student-athletes at that time.
Rather than shutting down or demontizing his channel, Deestroying persisted, producing content that ultimately cost him his college football career. However, by graduation, he had nearly 100,000 subscribers, showcasing everything from trick shot videos to athlete impersonations.
He has continued to grow his channel while pursuing a football career and has become one of the most recognizable internet personalities in the sport.
The financial success of creators continues to rise in 2025. In a report from June 16, Forbes revealed the earnings of the 50 wealthiest social media creators — across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube — amounting to an estimated $853 million, excluding additional millions.
He Is a Professional Football Player
Though Deestroying did not make it to the NFL, he played one season in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts and spent two more seasons in the United Football League with the San Antonio Brahmas. In the 2025 UFL season, he played in three games, successfully making five out of seven field goal attempts.
From Homelessness to Millionaire
After leaving UCF, Deestroying revealed to GQ in 2023 that he faced homelessness, bunking on a friend’s couch for some time. Together, they focused on expanding his YouTube presence, which eventually led to financial success.
“My very first big check was like seven bands in a month,” he told GQ. “I couldn’t believe it. $7,000, and then every month it just kept growing. It escalated from 7,000 to 11,000, 14,000, 20,000, and I don’t even want to reveal what it is now.”
Upon hitting the million-dollar mark, he prioritized paying off his mom’s house so she could retire.
“My mom sacrificed a lot,” he shared. “She worked hard to provide for us, taking on jobs she didn’t love just to pay the bills. Even after long hours, she’d come home and still manage to cook for us with love.”
A Key Figure in the College Sports NIL Movement
Deestroying’s battle over his YouTube earnings was instrumental in prompting the NCAA’s eventual acceptance of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights for student-athletes.
When the NCAA mandated he demonetize his channel, Deestroying stood firm and experienced the loss of his athletic scholarship and position on the UCF football team. He subsequently sued the university and reached a settlement in 2018 that allowed him to complete his degree.
Less than a year later, California spearheaded legislation permitting student-athletes to profit from their likenesses, inspiring other states to follow suit, and by 2021, a unanimous ruling by the United States Supreme Court concluded that the NCAA could not prohibit student-athletes from monetizing their images.
Known for His Impressions
Along with his entertaining stunts and trick shot videos, Deestroying features an array of athlete impressions, including ones of Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
