The Minnesota Vikings have denounced Tim Walz: “We don’t suppᴏrt his values.”
Get PolitiFact in your inbox.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz Aug. 21, 2024, speaks during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (AP)
Touchdown false: The Minnesota Vikings didn’t ‘denounce’ Gov. Tim Walz
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.
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.
Featured Fact-check
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!
Our Sources
Facebook post, archived link, Sept. 11, 2024
X, Tim Walz, Jul. 30, 2024
X, Tim Walz, Jul. 30, 2024
Minnesota Vikings, Press Releases, accessed Sept. 11, 2024
Minnesota Vikings, Governor Tim Walz Joins Paul Allen Live From Vikings Training Camp, accessed Sept. 12, 2024
PolitiFact, Claim that Kamala Harris was fired from McDonald’s for stealing is satire, Sept. 4, 2024
PolitiFact, No, Venus Williams didn’t forfeit a tennis match against a trans woman. That story is fake, April 17, 2024
PolitiFact, If you're fooled by fake news, this man probably wrote it, May 31, 2017
YouTube, Governor Tim Walz Joins Paul Allen Live From Vikings Training Camp, Aug. 17, 2023
LeadStories, Fact Check: Minnesota Vikings Did NOT Denounce Tim Walz -- It's Satire, Sept. 5, 2024
Dunning-Kruger Times (Satire website), The Minnesota Vikings Have Denounced Tim Walz: "We Don’t Suppᴏrt His Values, "accessed Sept. 12, 2024
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Touchdown false: The Minnesota Vikings didn’t ‘denounce’ Gov. Tim Walz
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.