Sports

Did National Football League (NFL) coaches unanimously vote to ban "anthem kneeling" permanently? No, that's not true: An NFL representative told Lead Stories that this claim was "totally false." A Google News and NFL.com search did not yield evidence of such a vote, and Lead Stories found the same story reposted on a satire website. The claim appeared on Facebook…

Did Deion Sanders, head football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder, bench "one of his best" players for kneeling while the national anthem was playing? No, that's not true: The claim was featured in an article on a satirical website. The site's About Us page says: "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim appeared in an article (archived…

Did the National Football League (NFL) ban the performance of the song "Lift Every Voice and Sing," also known as the Black National Anthem, at any NFL-sponsored venue after the purported performance of the song by Beyonce Knowles-Carter in San Francisco? No, that's not true: When this claim was published, September 19, 2023, Beyonce was not performing at any NFL…

Did American swimmer Lia Thomas quit competitive swimming? No, that's not true: This claim is from a satirical website and has not been reported by legitimate news outlets. The website where this claim originated has a disclaimer that reads, "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim appeared in an article published by conservativetears.com on September 27, 2023, titled "Lia…

Did the head coach of the New York Jets say he'll quit "on the spot" if the team signs Colin Kaepernick? No, that's not true: Lead Stories could not find any news coverage where the coach was quoted saying this. The Dunning-Kruger Times, where the claim originated, is a satirical website that has a history of creating content surrounding public…

Did singer Beyonce sing a rendition of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," also known as the Black national anthem, instead of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at a NFL game held in September 2023? No, that's not true: the claim appeared first on a website clearly marked as satire. Beyonce had not performed at any NFL games in 2023 at the time…

Did the NFL's ethics committee deny Colin Kaepernick's request to return to "active status" and suggest "he should go sell hair products"? No, that's not true: This claim comes from a satirical website that has a history of fabricating content surrounding popular topics, and that features a disclaimer stating, "Everything on this website is fiction." Lead Stories could not find…

Did New England Patriots football coach Bill Belichick overrule the players' vote to allow "protest" kneeling? No, that's not true: This claim comes from a satirical website that has a history of fabricating content surrounding popular topics, and features a disclaimer that states, "Everything on this website is fiction." Lead Stories could not find evidence on Google News to substantiate…

Did American soccer player Megan Rapinoe say she's leaving America because she gets "no respect"? No, that's not true: This claim is coming from a satirical website. It has been reported by multiple major news outlets that Rapinoe is going to retire from her international career at the end of the 2023 National Women's Soccer League season. The claim appeared…

Did former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines turn down a $3 million partnership with Nike? No, that's not true: This claim comes from a satirical website that has a history of fabricating content surrounding popular political topics and figures. The website has a disclaimer that contains the line, "Everything on this website is fiction." Lead Stories could not find…

Did former competitive swimmer Riley Gaines "beat" competitive swimmer Lia Thomas for the "last spot on the pro tour"? No, that's not true: This claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The claim appeared in an article published by The Dunning-Kruger Times on August 29, 2023, titled "Riley Gaines Beats Lia Thomas For…

Did country singer Jason Aldean refuse a $1 million paycheck to sing the national anthem at the 2024 Super Bowl, saying, "I'll do it for free"? No, that's not true: This claim came from a satirical website. Google News' index of thousands of credible news sites did not confirm that Aldean had turned down the paycheck, had made such a…

Did conservative TV personality Candace Owens call professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe an "angry toddler" while debating Rapinoe on a segment of her show, "Candace"? No, that's not true: A representative of Rapinoe told Lead Stories this is "false information." Also, this claim appeared in an article on a satirical website known for publishing fabricated content. The claim appeared in…

Did Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin say his football players were not allowed to kneel on the field anymore and then cut the last player to kneel, and did an NFL mediator side with him over the controversy? No, that's not true: All three claims were made on a satire website that has a disclaimer that describes itself as part…

Did Riley Gaines settle a civil suit against Lia Thomas for $1.2 million? No, that's not true: This claim originated from a self-described satirical website aimed at trolling conservatives. That website, The Dunning-Kruger Times, has a disclaimer that describes itself as part of a network of "parody, satire, and tomfoolery" and says, "Everything on this website is fiction." The claim…

Did professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe have a campaign with the breakfast cereal Wheaties that was canceled after she missed a penalty kick during the 2023 World Cup? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for General Mills, the parent company of Wheaties, confirmed that the claim is false. The claim also started on a satirical website. The claim originated in…

Did professional golfer John Daly make a derogatory/homophobic statement about professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe and her performance at the 2023 World Cup? No, that's not true: The comment was posted on a parody social media account, not on Daly's official social media pages nor in any legitimate news sources. Playing for the U.S. women's team in the 2023 World…

Did U.S. professional soccer player Megan Rapinoe lose a "post-retirement broadcasting" position with ESPN and was she also dropped as a Nike partner following backlash after a missed penalty kick during the 2023 World Cup? No, that's not true: The claims are just two of many about Rapinoe that have been published by a satirical website. The claim about Rapinoe…

Was Megan Rapinoe, a renowned U.S. women's soccer player, fired from the Seattle "OL Reign" team and the U.S. Olympic team, and did she also lose a multi-million TV deal as a result of missing a penalty kick during the Women's World Cup series? No, that's not true: Rapinoe only announced finishing her professional career after the U.S. was eliminated…

Has Mike Tyson, a former professional boxer, died as of August 2, 2023? No, that's not true: A Tyson representative told Lead Stories that this claim is "fake news." Tyson has also been active on his verified social media accounts since this claim was published. The claim appeared in a post on Facebook on July 26, 2023. The caption opened:…