A post shared on social media purports that Pittsburg Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin told players not to participate in Pride Month.

In a move that shocked both the sports community and society, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin directed his team not to participate in a Pride Month activities, Tomlin said: “We’re here to play football, not to participate in social or political movements.”
🔥👏🔥👏🔥👏 pic.twitter.com/KRlIyAuAL4

— Sam Ghannoum (@Sam230560) June 9, 2024

Verdict: False

The claim stems from a satirical account.

Fact Check:

Daily Show host Jon Stewart mocked corporations for pandering during Pride Month, according to The Guardian. Stewart claimed that companies like Target exploit LGBT issues and pretend to care about social issues to sell their products.

A post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, alleges that Tomlin told team members they are not allowed to participate in pride month. The post shared a photo of the coach and one of a Pride celebration.

The post reads, “In a move that shocked both the sports community and society, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin directed his team not to participate in a Pride Month activities, Tomlin said: ‘We’re here to play football, not to participate in social or political movements.’”

The claim is inaccurate. There is no credible news report that suggests that this claim is accurate. The report stems from a satirical news outlet called Esspots.com. The article claims Tomlin called Pride Month “woke crap.”

The website features a disclaimer that describes the site as satire saying, “Welcome to Esspots.com, a website that specializes in satire, parody, and humor. Before you proceed to read our content, we would like to emphasize that nothing on this website is real.”  (RELATED: Viral X Post Claims FBI ‘Got Bullied’ Into Deleting Pride Month Post)

This is not the first time misinformation has been shared online. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim Lia Thomas was told to try out for the men’s Olympic team.