Sports

Did the NFL tell Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles players they were not allowed to wear green in the Brazil opener, citing gang violence, as a post on Instagram Threads claimed? No, that's not true. This rumor originated in a podcast episode where Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs falsely stated that at "the part of Brazil" where…

Does the Texas Constitution prevent Donald Trump from being on the presidential ballot there due to his conviction on 34 felony counts? No, that's not true: State-level laws do not govern eligibility for federal office. The U.S. Constitution sets the requirements for the presidency, which include being a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and a resident of the…

Did the Kansas City Chiefs refuse to participate in Pride Month because "it's extremely woke"? No, that's not true: The website the article originated from is self-described as satirical and says on its "About Us" page that its content is "the freshest fake news." A Google News search did not yield any evidence that the claim about the Chiefs was…

Did quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a civil rights activist, say he is boycotting the NFL as long as kicker Harrison Butker is on an NFL team and did he say of Butker, "I don't like him"? No, that's not true: This claim initially appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. There is no publicly available…

Has Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship Division I title, been exclusively banned from competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris, as a post on Facebook implied? No, that's not true: The International Olympic Committee outlined a framework for all transgender and intersex athletes. However, national committees oversee athletic participation in their respective…

Did the U.S. Olympic Committee say that American swimmer Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA swimming championship Division I title, is "welcome to try out for the men's team," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: The spoof article that made the claim was published by SpaceX Arena, a satirical website. SpaceX…

Did soccer manager Pep Guardiola avoid shaking hands with "the Israeli representative" in May 2024? No, that's not true: A viral video on social media misidentified the man passed over by Guardiola as he greeted a line of well-wishers at a match in 2023. The bypassed man was another soccer manager, Alan Smith. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Does a video on social media show Cristiano Ronaldo offering support to "children of Gaza"? No, that's not true: The original video of soccer superstar Ronaldo was posted in 2016 and he said it was for the "children of Syria," not the children of Gaza. His voice has been altered to change the word "Syria" to "Gaza," and the background…

Did Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce vow to quit the Kansas City Chiefs immediately if the football team doesn't fire kicker Harrison Butker? No, that's not true: This claim initially appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. While Kelce has released a statement specifically addressing an incident involving Butker, it does not…

Did Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid say, as of May 23, 2024, that he will resign if the Chiefs fire kicker Harrison Butker, adding "If they get rid of Harrison, they get rid of me"? No, that's not true: While it was reported in May 2024 that Reid said he supports Butker's right to his opinions, the quote…

Did Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker say "we should go back to a time ... when ... women had more babies than thoughts"? No, that's not true: This claim was made in a meme that derives from a satirical account. There is no evidence to suggest Butker stated what is attributed to him in the claim. The claim appeared…

Did singer Taylor Swift say that she'll force Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to leave the Chiefs next season if the team doesn't fire Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker? No, that's not true: This claim originated on the satirical network America's Last Line Of Defense. Their Facebook bio has the line, "Nothing on this page is real."…

Did entrepreneur Elon Musk say he was considering buying the New York Jets to keep National Football League player turned American civil rights activist Colin Kaepernick off the football team? No, that's not true: This claim initially appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. There is otherwise no publicly available or credible evidence to…

Did French Air Force aerobatic jets accidentally emit smoke that displayed the Russian flag to mark the May 8, 2024, arrival of the Olympic flame in the French city of Marseille? No, that's not true: The eight Alpha Jets left smoke trails in the colors and order of France's tricolor -- blue, white and red. Russia's tricolor is white, blue…

Did the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony feature a "figure of death holding a NEEDLE"? No, that's not true: The "figure of death" was actually a puppet of Lord Voldemort, the villain from the "Harry Potter" book series. Lord Voldemort is holding a magic wand, not a needle. Lead Stories could not find any evidence that the London Olympics had…

Did a video showing a man asking a city council to legalize sports gambling after he made money betting on transgender athletes capture a real-life, authentic story? No, that's not true: The man participated in the production of a comedy show hosted by a comedian known for orchestrating bizarre appearances at various public meetings. Both men spoke on the same…

Did former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines win a $10 million defamation lawsuit against actress Whoopi Goldberg? No, that's not true: As of the time this article was published, Gaines had not filed any lawsuit against Goldberg that resulted in her winning $10 million. The bogus information originated on a satirical website. The claim appeared in a post (archived…

Did a black swimsuit originally read "not a dude" in a photo of a female athlete circulating on social media? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found earlier versions of the same image without these words. The phrase was digitally added. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on March 19, 2024. The image shared without any…

Is it against the law for athletes to endorse milk as a nutritious beverage? No, that's not true: There's nothing inherently illegal about athletes promoting milk as healthy, despite claims by Bobby Price in a YouTube video. Staff from the Federal Trade Commission, which regulates claims in advertising, told Lead Stories that "it's NOT illegal for them to say this."…

Did political commentator Candace Owens file a petition to ban collegiate swimmer Lia Thomas from women's sports? No, that's not true: This claim originally appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. There is otherwise no publicly available or credible evidence to support this claim. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook…