A viral claim stating that Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers refused an invitation from the White House is found to be fake. The hoax emerged soon after it was announced that U.S. President Joe Biden will invite the team to the White House.
On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs to become the first team to play and win in the Super Bowl in their home stadium. According to NFL's collective bargaining agreement, the team will earn $130,000 per player for winning the big game.
'Trumptard' Makes Super Bowl Champions Refuse Invitation to WH
The fake claim generated momentum after Taterforce One published an article headlined "Superbowl Champions Refuse Invitation to 'Stolen' White House." The piece published under the site's "NFL Satire You Can Pretend to Boycott" heading became viral on social media fueling the rumors.
"Anyway, even though the best team won, they're refusing to go to the White House because the towel boy is a trumptard who thinks the election was somehow stolen, yes, even now. It was decided that nobody wanted the dumbass kid to cry all night, so they told him they cancelled and then locked him in a toilet stall wrapped up in jockstraps. So maybe it'll happen later. Great game!" read the article.
The satire piece led many to believe that it was actually true. A post on Facebook by a user Guy Roland read, Guy Rolan read "Super Bowl Champions refuse invitation to WH, claim the WH was STOLEN. OK GOOD, SO I'M NOT CRAZY (laughing crying emoji)." The post was shared over 2,100 times.
Here Is the Truth Behind the Fake Claim
Debunking the claim, Reuters reported that it was a false claim as there was no credible evidence that the team refused the invitation to the White House. It stated that the claim appears to be originating from the satirical report.
According to the outlet, on February 8, the White House said the U.S. President would invite the Super Bowl LV champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and last season's NBA champions, the L.A. Lakers to the White House once it is safe owing to the COVID-19 restrictions.
"We look forward to inviting the Buccaneers, as well as the 2020 NBA champions, the Lakers, to the White House," President Joe Biden's press secretary, Jen Psaki, told reporters, adding that the visit will be "when it is Covid-safe, but I don't know when that will take place yet."
