A Feb. 13 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes a screenshot of a tweet with a photo of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“BREAKING: Chiefs Super Bowl legitimacy put on hold as NFL plans to launch an investigation on possible PED use by Patrick Mahomes during halftime,” reads the post. “Sources confirm his rapid postgame drug test came back POSITIVE and if guilty the Chiefs could be stripped of the win.”
The post was shared more than 11,000 times in one day. Other versions of the claim spread widely on Facebook and Instagram.
Follow us on Facebook!Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks
An NFL spokesperson said Mahomes was not one of the players randomly selected for drug testing. And while a positive test would result in discipline for the individual player, it would not affect the team or the outcome of a game. The claim originated on a satirical Twitter account.
Brian McCarthy, an NFL spokesperson, said the claim is “absolutely false.”
Five players on each team were randomly selected and tested for performance-enhancing substances per NFL policy, but Mahomes was not one of them, McCarthy said.
Even if the claim were true, it wouldn’t jeopardize the Chiefs’ win.
“As part of the policy, if a player tests positive for performance-enhancing substances,...
Patricia White, 70, of Old Greenwich, received a nine-month prison sentence for submitting false claims for unclaimed properties to around 30 state treasuries. HARRISBURG, Pa. — Months after her br...