Rumours are spreading that a “black hockey player” has been fired after raising a fist during the playing of the National Anthem.
The rumours come amidst controversy surrounding NFL players kneeling during the playing of the anthem before games.
The rumours seem to link back to the same article (that has been copied and pasted across a number of sites) that claim player J. T. brown was let go by his team manager after raising his first during the anthem.
That article reads in part –
BREAKING: Black Hockey Player FIRED After Raising Fist During National Anthem
The NFL may be coddling black athletes who are protesting our police force, our flag, and our veterans by kneeling, but the National Hockey League refuses to do the same.
On Sunday, J.T. Brown of the Tampa Bay Lightning jumped on the “hate our troops” bandwagon and made a “black power” fist – a gesture assembled with black supremacist groups – during the National Anthem.
Brown was counting on P.C. culture winning out and letting him keep his job, but what happened next ruined his life.
“This is not, and has never been, about the military or disrespecting the flag,” Brown said in an interview with ESPN after he raised his fist. “It is about police brutality, racial injustice, and inequality in this country. It is something that I as well as many others feel needs to be addressed. I love my country, but that doesn’t mean I cannot acknowledge that it is not perfect.” Unfortunately, the owner of the team disagrees. Burt Lancaster announced a few hours later that the team will be seeking a new forward to replace Brown.
However, the article is fake, and is spreading amongst a number of fake news sites or fake news aggregator websites.
Sponsored Content. Continued below...
What’s true in the article?
– Player J. T. Brown did raise his fist during the playing on the National Anthem during a recent game.
– A quote attributed to J. T. Brown in the article about not disrespecting the flag, which is a genuine quote.
What’s false in the article?
– J. T. Brown was not fired by his manager. The article identifies the manager as Burt Lancaster -however the manager of Brown’s team – the Tampa Bay Lightning – is Jeffrey Vinink . Burt Lancaster was the name of a famous actor.
The article was published on the site FreedumJUnkShun, a fake news site with a disclaimer that claims as much. ThatsFake identifies the site as fake news.
The site has also been published on a network of fake news aggregator websites including observeronline.news, defensepatriot.world and conservativepaper.com.