Touchdown false: The Minnesota Vikings didn’t ‘denounce’ Gov. Tim Walz

With a new pro football season underway, misinformation has touched down. A viral Facebook post claimed the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings distanced itself from home state Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee.

“The Minnesota Vikings have denoᴜnced Tim Walz: “We don’t sᴜpport his values,” a Sept. 11 Facebook post, featuring a photo of Walz, said.

The Facebook photo was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Threads and Instagram.)

But we searched the team’s social media accounts and website and found no record of such a statement. We also found no news reports about it — only articles debunking the claim.

The claim originated on a well-known satire website that has been the source of recent viral false social media posts posing as political and sports news. But the viral posts sharing the Minnesota Vikings claim were shared without markings of satire, leading users to perhaps conclude it was real.

Walz, a former high school football coach, visited the Vikings’ training camp and met with young fans in July, before Vice President Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate. In August 2023, Walz joined a Vikings live radio show recorded at the team’s training grounds.

We contacted the Minnesota Vikings for comment but received no reply. 

We rate the claim that Minnesota Vikings denounced Walz Pants on Fire!

By

Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu

Staff writer

September 12, 2024

Truth-o-meter Ruling

Pants on Fire!

IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT

• The NFL’s Minnesota Vikings did not denounce Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

• The claim originated on a satire website, but other users shared it without clarifying that it was fictitious.

Statement

The Minnesota Vikings have denounced Tim Walz: “We don’t suppᴏrt his values.”

Context

a photo

Speaker/Target

Speaker: Facebook posts

Statement Date

September 11, 2024