Super Bowl XLVIII Rigged, ‘Currently Under Investigation by NFL’ a Hoax; Super Bowl 48 Not Fixed by Broncos, Peyton Manning

A screenshot of the Huzlers article in question.

An article that claims Super Bowl 48 was “believed to have been rigged” by Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning against the Seattle Seahawks and is under investigation is from a satire news site.

The “report” was published on Huzlers.com, which publishes fake news. It claims that “officials believe the Broncos intentionally lost the championship in exchange for a large amount of money.”

It reads: “Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay told reporters he sensed something strange when he overhead Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning allegedly asking Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll ‘When are you going to pay up?’. McAulay immediately became suspicious and notified other officials and that’s when it all started. The NFL are currently investigating the situation and looking for evidence to prove the game was rigged. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters ‘This is like that Chicago White Sox scandal back in 1919, I can’t believe this, they ruined the sport, I just can’t believe it.’”

According to its disclaimer at the bottom of the page, Huzlers “is a combination of real shocking news and satire news to keep its visitors in a state of disbelief.” However, the vast majority--if not all--of the articles on the website are fake.

This Huzlers story offers no sources for its information in the report, and there’s no mainstream media coverage of any rigging during the Super Bowl.

However, that didn’t stop more than 27,000 people from sharing it on Facebook on Monday.

Other fake news stories published by the website include “President Barack Obama Outlaws Twerking,” “JUSTIN BIEBER ESCAPES JAIL AFTER BEING ARRESTED FOR DUI AND ILLEGAL RACING,” and “DNA TEST REVEALS KANYE WEST IS NOT THE FATHER OF NORTH WEST.” None of these articles have any shred of truth to them.

Following the Seattle Seahawks drubbing of the Broncos on Sunday evening, many people on Twitter and Facebook joked that Denver threw the game because they played extremely poorly during the game--committing turnovers and failing to make tackles on defense.