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Fast Take
NFL groups paid tribute to the victims in Israel of the Oct. 7 Hamas assault by holding moments of silence earlier than video games throughout the next week. However a current social media publish falsely claimed the NFL inspired gamers “to kneel for Israel earlier than each sport.” An NFL spokesperson referred to as the declare “patently false.”
Full Story
After the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, the NFL introduced that its groups would maintain a second of silence earlier than their video games throughout the next week to honor the victims.
Roughly 1,200 individuals have been killed in Israel on Oct. 7, Israeli officers stated. Greater than 22,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza within the ensuing warfare between Israel and Hamas, Gaza’s well being ministry reported on Jan. 8. Reuters reported on Jan. 9 that 187 Israeli troopers have died within the preventing in Gaza.
“The NFL mourns the lack of harmless lives in Israel and strongly condemns all types of terrorism,” the NFL stated in an Oct. 9 assertion, CBS Sports activities reported. “The depravity of those acts is past comprehension, and we grieve with the households of these killed, injured and nonetheless lacking. We pray for peace and can all the time stand towards the evils of hate.”
As well as, 13 soccer groups issued statements of assist for Israel in October, NBC Sports activities reported.
A Jan. 6 video publish on Instagram, nevertheless, misrepresents the NFL’s response to the assaults in Israel. The textual content on the publish claims, “the NFL is encouraging gamers to kneel for Israel earlier than each sport.” The publish has obtained almost 3,000 likes.
A male voice on the publish contrasts the purported motion by the NFL with its response to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who protested incidents of police brutality and racial injustice in 2016 by kneeling throughout the nationwide anthem and impressed different gamers to do the identical. Kaepernick then obtained no provides from NFL groups to play the next season or since then.
The video consists of photos of NFL gamers, together with Kaepernick, kneeling on the sidelines, which we traced again to the racial injustice protests in 2016 and 2017.
The video consists of photos of NFL gamers, together with Kaepernick, kneeling on the sidelines. Whereas the narrator might give the impression that among the photos characterize gamers kneeling in assist of Israel, we traced them again to the racial injustice protests in 2016 and 2017. Not one of the photos within the publish characterize gamers kneeling in assist of Israel after Oct. 7.
Opposite to the publish’s declare, the NFL has not inspired gamers “to kneel for Israel” earlier than any video games. NFL spokesperson Tim Schlittner instructed us in a Jan. 8 e mail, “The publish is patently false.”
It’s value noting that in 2018, the NFL and the workforce house owners introduced a coverage that requires gamers and different workforce personnel to face throughout the nationwide anthem, however permits gamers to stay within the locker room throughout the anthem if they like. Those that don’t comply with the coverage face doable fines by the league and their workforce.
Editor’s notice: FactCheck.org is considered one of a number of organizations working with Fb to debunk misinformation shared on social media. Our earlier tales might be discovered right here. Fb has no management over our editorial content material.
Sources
AP Newsroom. NFL Numerous Patriotism Anthem. 1 Oct 2017.
AP Newsroom. Rams 49ers Soccer. 12 Sep 2016.
Britannica. “Colin Kaepernick.” Accessed 8 Jan 2024.
Florio, Mike. “NFL and 13 groups have condemned the Hamas assault in Israel.” NBC Sports activities. 12 Oct 2023.
Gonzalez, Isabel. “NFL groups to carry second of silence earlier than every Week 6 sport following Hamas assault on Israel.” CBS Sports activities. 12 Oct 2023.
Knoblauch, Austin. “NFL house owners approve nationwide anthem coverage for 2018.” NFL.com. 23 Might 2018.
Kottasova, Ivana, et al. “One in 100 individuals in Gaza has been killed since October 7.” CNN. 8 Jan 2024.
New York Occasions. “Israel-Hamas Warfare: Israel Lowers Oct. 7 Demise Toll Estimate to 1,200.” Up to date 30 Nov 2023.
Schlittner, Tim. Communications director, NFL. Electronic mail to FactCheck.org. 8 Jan 2024.
Spain, Kevin. “People against professional sports activities leagues requiring gamers stand for nationwide anthem.” USA Immediately. 25 Oct 2017.
