Nike Drops Dallas Cowboys Sponsorship Deal Over National Anthem Protests-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Nike has ended a sponsorship deal with the Dallas Cowboys over National Anthem player protests; the Cowboys will no longer be able to wear or sell Nike merchandise.
The Truth:
False reports that Nike cut ties with the Dallas Cowboys over National Anthem protests stem from a website that fabricates its content.
The false report appeared at the website As American as Apple Pie on Sept 26, 2017, under the headline, “BREAKING: Jerry Jones And The Cowboys Lose Their Biggest Contract For Their Disrespect.” The story, which had been shared more than 13,000 times on social media within a week, quotes a Nike executive as saying:
“To come out on the field and kneel to thugs and criminals just before saluting the flag was a reprehensible move our company won’t easily forgive. The Dallas Cowboys are no longer licensed to wear, display or sell merchandise with the Nike name or logo on it.”
Owner Jerry Jones says he will fight the move, stating that he was showing his players that he was with them but still managed to see that every one of them stood for the National Anthem.
But the website isn’t a credible source of information. It’s “About Us” section contains this disclaimer:
When no one can trust the lying fake news liberal media anymore because they hate us and guns and Harley Davidson and meat and OUR president, As American as Apple Pie is here to be your beacon of something you can kinda rely on sometimes but not really.
This is the latest story about companies ending sponsorship deals with the NFL over National Anthem protests. We also investigated a false report that Budweiser had pulled its NFL sponsorship, and a true and misleading report about Checks into Cash and Hardwick Clothes pulling NFL sponsorship.