Was Travis Kelce Fined 10 Million USD for Kneeling During the National Anthem?…see more

Was Travis Kelce Fined 10 Million USD for Kneeling During the National Anthem?
Fact-checking a Facebook post saying Kansas City Travis Kelce was fined USD 10 million and kicked out of a game for kneeling during the national anthem.

Advertisement
Recently, a post appeared on Facebook that featured two images: one of Kansas City star tight end Travis Kelce kneeling and the other of Kansas City standing for the national anthem. The image’s caption says, “Travis Kelce Kneels During National Anthem, Fined $10 Million, and Kicked Out Of Game.”

The image was first uploaded on Facebook on August 19th, and it was shared over 4,000 times within three days. Similar versions were also extensively shared on Facebook. So was the world’s greatest tight end. Travis Kelce was fined $10 million for kneeling during the national anthem, according to a Facebook post.

Actually, no, it is not true. This narrative started with a piece on SpaceXMania, a self-described fake news website renowned for posting humorous content. There is no publicly accessible or trustworthy evidence to back up the story.

According to Lead Stories, a reverse image search found that the claim originated in a satirical piece published by SpaceXMania in October 2023; however, the Facebook post did not include a disclaimer indicating that it came from a humorous article. SpaceXMania describes itself as a ‘false news’ website.

USA Today further clarified the situation and confirmed that the allegation started as a parody months ago, even though the Facebook post makes no mention of this. There are no reliable reports from 2024 that Kelce kneeled during the anthem, was ejected, or was punished for any reason.

According to USA Today, Tim Lawson, who publishes SpaceXMania, verified that the tale is fiction. The first comment on the Facebook post refers to an article written on a disreputable website that is practically a word-for-word replica of one published by SpaceXMania on October 19, 2023, and is designated as a parody.