Aaron Rodgers, the injured quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, did not break both his legs in a car crash, and he isn’t dead.
Several false rumors that popped up over the weekend say that Rodgers, who is out for a few games with a collarbone injury, is either dead or broke his legs in a car crash.
The rumors about Rodgers breaking his legs or dying appear to have started spreading last week.
Rodgers was shown several times on the sidelines of the Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings game on Sunday--sporting a thick mustache, meaning he isn’t dead or critically injured.
The rumors about Rodgers appear to have originated with the fake news site Global Associated News, which has published a number of fake celebrity death stories that have eventually gone viral across social media sites.
The false report claims that Rodgers had “broken both of his legs in a traffic altercation,” but later said that he died. “Pro football player Aaron Rogers is confirmed to have died in a single vehicle car accident. One other male passenger in the 2012 BMW driven by Aaron Rogers has been transported to a local Wisconsin hospital and is reported to be in serious condition.”
Note that the false report spells Rodgers’ name as “Rogers.”
There have been false injury and death reports about other NFL quarterbacks, including Peyton Manning and Michael Vick. They have claimed both quarterbacks broke both their legs in a car accident.
The Global Associated News has published death reports about Eddie Murphy, Justin Bieber, Jackie Chan, Celine Dion, and other celebrities.
The website’s hard-to-find disclaimer reads: “FAKE… THIS STORY IS 100% FAKE! this is an entertainment website, and this is a totally fake article based on zero truth and is a complete work of fiction for entertainment purposes!”
Rich Hoover, the head of the Global Associated News, told the New York Times several years ago that he generates revenue from spreading false news.
“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t some twisted sense of satisfaction or accomplishment,” he said.
