Sports

Did the NFL abruptly fire three referees who officiated the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams for their involvement in the largest bribery scheme in NFL history? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the NFL fired any referees amid a bribery scandal following a game between the two California teams as of…

Does a photo show basketball star LeBron James kissing an unidentified man in Paris? No, that's not true: A reverse image search showed that the men in the photo are a couple who go by the screen name "TeeAndDrew." An online news search for any credible evidence that the event described in the post actually happened came up empty. The…

Does a genuine news article accurately report that baseball player Juan Soto joined the New York Mets partly due to the pro-Trump views of his former Yankees teammates? No, that's not true: Soto's agent, Scott Boras, told Lead Stories such stories were "falsely created," calling it "fake news." The social media post quoting such a supposed article offered no evidence.…

Was mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor sued for sexual assault in a personal injury civil case after declaring his interest in running for president of Ireland? No, that's not true: A post alleging a connection between the civil lawsuit and McGregor's political ambitions misled readers about the timeline of the events. The civil lawsuit was filed in 2021, years…

Did the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs say they are boycotting Pride Nights? No, that's not true: Neither the Steelers nor the Chiefs have publicly stated they were boycotting Pride Nights. The post saying so did not offer any evidence to back up its claim but it seems to have originated on a website with a satire disclaimer. The…

Did "Trump's Scottish Golf Course," have to "up its security" in 2024 after people were "breaking in" and defecating in the holes? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the course -- presumably Trump International Scotland -- had to increase security measures as of this writing. This rumor appears to have originated with comedian Russell Howard, who joked…

Did New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft announce there will be no "anthem kneeling" at Gillette Stadium ever again? No, that's not true: This post came from a self-described satirical Facebook account. The website attached to this account has a disclaimer that says, "Nothing on this page is real." Lead Stories could not locate any credible evidence that Kraft made…

Did NFL player Travis Kelce publicly say he would leave X, calling the platform a "hate machine" and "toxic waste dump"? No, that's not true: As of November 24, 2024, Kelce's account was still on the platform. An advanced search on X did not return any posts supporting his supposed description of the platform. There are no credible reports that…

Did Major League Soccer or FIFA publicly announce that LGBTQ+ flags will be prohibited at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup? No, that's not true: The rumor originated from websites with satire labels. As of November 20, 2024, Lead Stories found no confirmation that either of the two sports organizations had issued such a statement. The claim appeared in a…

Did Arnold Schwarzenegger wear a T-shirt that said, "I didn't vote for the McFelon"? No, that's not true: The photo appearing to show that scene has been altered. The original photo showed Schwarzenegger wearing a plain black T-shirt without any slogan on it. The photo was taken in March 2024, at the 2024 Arnold Sports Festival UK, which was held…

Did Mike Tyson drape a Palestinian flag around his shoulders around the time of a boxing match? No, that's not true: Tyson's publicist confirmed that the photo of him appearing to wear the flag was "a fake." Online image analysis tools suggest the viral image may be the product of artificial intelligence. The photo appeared in a post (archived here)…

Does video of people chanting and clapping show Netherlands residents celebrating the attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam in early November 2024? No, that's not true: The video predates the violence by several months. It is of a different event and was shared on social media in May 2024. The claim was implied in a post (archived here) on…

Does a video on social media show a Kentucky voting machine marking Kamala Harris for president when the voter tried to press Donald Trump, leaving them unable to vote for Trump? Yes, but that is missing context: The Kentucky Board of Elections' general counsel told Lead Stories in a statement that, after the video was filmed, the voter was able…

Did basketball star Michael Jordan endorse Donald Trump for president? No, that's not true: Jordan's management told Lead Stories that there was "absolutely no truth" to this claim. At the time of writing, Jordan had endorsed neither Trump or Kamala Harris for president. The claim appeared in a post on X (archived here) on November 3, 2024. The caption read:…

Did billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk offer women's basketball star Caitlin Clark a $10 million endorsement deal? No, that's not true: This comes from a website that publishes fake stories about famous people. The site describes itself as satire, and the original article was clearly labeled as satire. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on June 18,…

Does a video show Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz "flipping off" a heckler at a Michigan football game? No, that's not true: A still photo taken at the same event shows that Walz was pointing his index finger at bystanders. His middle digit remained firmly folded in his hand. The claim appeared in a video on X (archived here)…

Does a photo show Tim Walz and his wife Gwen cheering at a football game while there were no players on the field? No, that's not true: A play was happening on the other end of the football field, outside the scope of the photo. The University of Michigan was playing against the University of Minnesota on September 28, 2024,…

Did Travis Kelce declare "I'm Going to Be a Dad!" revealing Taylor Swift's pregnancy in September 2024? No, that's not true: There is no evidence Kelce said Swift was pregnant. The site that made the claim was registered in Vietnam and lists no owners or publishers. No reliable news sources reported on the couple's supposed pregnancy. The claim appeared in…

Did Travis Kelce announce his support for Kamala Harris' presidential candidacy in late September 2024 after his girlfriend Taylor Swift did the same? No, that's not true: This claim first appeared on a website that says it "specializes in satire, parody, and humor" and that "nothing on this website is real." No actual news websites have reported that Kelce made…

Does a real selfie photo show basketball star LeBron James posing in a mirror while wearing a French maid costume at a "Diddy party"? No, that's not true: AI detection tools and a human analyst found there was "substantial evidence of manipulation" in this image. It was likely generated with AI. The image of James, pro basketball player for the…