Clark Hunt, CEO and owner of Kansas City, warned NFL players, coaches, and staff that they are all “simply paid performers on a stage” and that he will “immediately fire” anyone who does not stand with their hand over their heart during the national anthem.
The AP’s assessment is false. Hunt did not hold such a meeting, but he has publicly stated his support for Chiefs players standing during the national anthem.
THE FACTS: For years, Facebook users have shared a bogus letter claiming that the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs convened a dramatic meeting to inform NFL players that they either stand during the national anthem or face immediate expulsion from the team.
The hoax is gaining traction again on Facebook ahead of the football season and after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell apologized last month for the league’s handling of peaceful protests against racial injustice, including the wave of players who took a knee during the national anthem in 2016 _ an effort led by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Goodell made the statements this year, one day after Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes urged the league to condemn bigotry.
The letter first circulated on Facebook in 2016, during heated controversy over football players’ decision to kneel during the national anthem.
“I have heard about it,” Hunt told the Kansas City Star in 2016. “It was an Internet hoax.”
Brad Gee, the Kansas City Chiefs’ director of football communications, acknowledged to The Associated Press that the viral letter’s contents are incorrect.
Hunt has previously stated that he wants players to stand for the national anthem, but several Chiefs players, including star tight end Travis Kelce, have sat or taken a knee during the anthem without being dismissed.
In 2017, President Donald Trump urged NFL owners to terminate players who did not stand during the national anthem. Hunt responded with a formal statement, saying he believes in “honoring the American flag” but also encouraged everyone to “work together.”
