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Recently, a post appeared on Facebook that featured two images: one of Kansas City star tight end Travis Kelce kneeling and the other of Kansas City standing for the national anthem. The image’s caption says, “Travis Kelce Kneels During National Anthem, Fined $10 Million, and Kicked Out Of Game.”
The image was first uploaded on Facebook on August 19th, and it was shared over 4,000 times within three days. Similar versions were also extensively shared on Facebook. So was the world’s greatest tight end. Travis Kelce was fined $10 million for kneeling during the national anthem, according to a Facebook post.
Actually, no, it is not true. This narrative started with a piece on SpaceXMania, a self-described fake news website renowned for posting humorous content. There is no publicly accessible or trustworthy evidence to back up the story.
According to Lead Stories, a reverse image search found that the claim originated in a satirical piece published by SpaceXMania in October 2023; however, the Facebook post did not include a disclaimer indicating that it came from a humorous article. SpaceXMania describes itself as a ‘false news’ website.
USA Today further clarified the situation and confirmed that the allegation started as a parody months ago, even though the Facebook post makes no mention of this. There are no reliable reports from 2024 that Kelce kneeled during the anthem, was ejected, or was punished for any reason.
According to USA Today, Tim Lawson, who publishes SpaceXMania, verified that the tale is fiction. The first comment on the Facebook post refers to an article written on a disreputable website that is practically a word-for-word replica of one published by SpaceXMania on October 19, 2023, and is designated as a parody.
USA Today also described how and when the photographs included in the piece were shot. According to them, the photo of Kelce kneeling in the Facebook post was taken in 2018 during a training camp session, not before a game. While there is no solid proof that Kelce kneeled during the anthem before either of the Chiefs’ first two preseason games in 2024, he did participate in the 2017 protest alongside his teammates.
Colin Kapernick began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality, which grew into a global movement; Colin was eventually kicked out of the league. A year later, in 2018, the NFL implemented a policy that prohibited players from kneeling during the national anthem but allowed them to remain in the locker room during it. The league then overturned the decision in 2020.
Considering the claims of a fine of 10 million USD and being thrown out of the game, USA Today said Kelce has only been removed from a game once in his career, in a 2016 victory against Jacksonville, for throwing a towel at a game official while challenging a call. According to Spotrac’s database of player penalties, the $24,000 punishment he got is still the highest in his career.
