Colin Kaepernick spearheaded the movement of kneeling for the National Anthem in protest of racial discrimination. The discourse surrounding the matter soon picked up national and international attention, garnering opinions from all sides. And over the years, the socio-political climate within the NFL world has never ceased to cause the emergence of fiery discourse among fans.
Now, amidst the nationwide upheaval and extended discourse on the matter, John Elway finds himself at the center of attention. The former QB is now making headlines for the wrong reasons, where the certainty of his actions is rather ambiguous. Here’s a look at the recent narrative that has taken over. Again, it is unclear whether Elway actually did say this or not, but the truth never stops social media from celebrating or dissing imaginary facts.
John Elway made the news for something he most likely did not say
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In 2017, John Elway’s statements on players ‘taking the knee’ turned heads. While the Broncos consultant indicated that he understood their reasons for doing so, his personal beliefs allied with standing for the National Anthem.
President of Football Ops/GM John Elway to @BroncosTV on players’ National Anthem statements: pic.twitter.com/Q6F9rszh4x
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 26, 2017
However, in light of George Floyd’s death and the worldwide protests that ensued, Elway joined the conversation with a different perspective. Here’s what he had to say.
After a lot of listening, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and felt it was time to join this important conversation. pic.twitter.com/2ncnFvmq33
— John Elway (@johnelway) June 6, 2020
But recently, certain articles that pushed a contrary claim have been reaching their target audience on Facebook.
Read More: What Is the Real Reason Behind Russell Wilson and Ashton Meem Divorce?
Headlines that pointedly claim that Elway threatened to fire players who kneeled during the National Anthem have garnered attention online. Fans, who aligned with such a view, failed to verify the accuracy of such reports. Here’s what they had to say.
Some fans were quick to align with Elway’s ‘statements’
Despite the ambiguous nature of the reports, alongside the lack of verified news regarding players being fired for their actions, individuals who resonated with Elways’s ‘statements,’ took to the comments in fervor.
One fan praised Elway by saying, “No one should disrespect oue flag and i bless you mr elway for standing up for what you believe”
Another user exclaimed,
“It’s about time someone has the guts to stand up for America “This user stated, “That’s the way it should be”
One fan called the relevance of this information into question by saying, “This has to be old. He’s not the head of football operations anymore. He isn’t even under contract with the Broncos organization anymore.”
Another fan emphasized that sports and politics should be intertwined, “That’s called shop rules. The NFL is not there to be anyone’s political platform. Do that on your own time.”
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One user seemed to be aware of the factual inaccuracy of the report,
“Lots of stupid people on this thread. This is super old and fake. For all the laymen, this statement was never made but I do enjoy the comedy. “ADVERTISEMENT
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In an age, where the need for factual reporting is at its peak, an instance like this brings awareness to the free flow of information and the pace at which word goes around. While the issue in itself is contested among fans, perhaps the NFL world will have to learn to verify readily available information before putting its thoughts out in the open.
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