The NFL ended its partnership with an LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit organization and banned rainbow gear that supported LGBTQ+ causes, prompting a response from Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.
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A rumor circulated online in September 2025 that claimed the National Football League ended its partnership with an LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit organization and banned rainbow-patterned gear that supported LGBTQ+ causes, prompting the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles to make a statement in response.
The story circulated on social media platforms such as Facebook (archived), Instagram (archived) and X (archived), with one Facebook post by The Eagles Nest (archived) receiving nearly 150,000 reactions.
Many posts sharing the claim included an image allegedly showing Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni wearing a rainbow hat with his team’s logo. The image also included a purported quote by Sirianni: “So the NFL thinks banning rainbows is going to unite us? Wrong side of history.”
Some users (archived) appeared to believe the rumor, with one responding to the purported news by saying, “I don’t know anything about football, but now I might have to watch to support my favorite team! Any men who stand up against discrimination and are secure in who they are and okay with others being different are heroes to me.”
(The Eagles Nest on Facebook)
However, the rumor was fiction. It stemmed from social media posts attempting to get users to click on links to supposedly see a “full article” detailing the alleged ban. But, in reality, those links are pages on advertisement-filled websites that seem to profit with each click, no matter the truthfulness of the content.
Some Facebook posts, including the one by The Eagles Nest, featured the links in top comments leading to articles hosted by non-reputable websites, including one advertisement-filled story on a website called HotNews. The article expanded on the alleged rumor, claiming “the NFL cited ‘uniformity and brand consistency’ as the primary reasons for the change” and noted “the move has left many fans and players frustrated, seeing it as a step backward for inclusivity in professional sports.”
However, searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo found no credible sources substantiating the claim. Prominent news media outlets would have widely reported on the alleged ban and response from Sirianni if they had actually happened.
A reverse Google Image search for Sirianni wearing a rainbow hat returned only results pointing back to the image shared in the claims. In other words, there was no legitimate source for the image in question, which appeared to be generated using artificial intelligence.
In addition, there was no news release from the NFL about the purported ban on rainbow gear or any partnership beginning or ending with Stonewall, a nonprofit LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.
Rather, the person or people who authored the story likely aimed to earn advertising revenue on websites linked in the aforementioned Facebook posts. The fabricated rumor potentially intended to capitalize on news from August 2025 that the United Kingdom’s Premier League ended a partnership with Stonewall UK that began in 2014.
The rumor about the NFL appeared to originate with the Facebook page called The Eagles Nest, which is managed by a user in Vietnam, according to the page’s “transparency” section. Further, an examination of the The Eagle Nest’s other posts found multiple indications of AI-generated images and text.
For example, regarding the picture included in the posts about the rumor, the AI-detection website Hive Moderation found a 99.4% probability that it was “likely” generated with AI. Such detection sites are not always reliable. However, the image’s visible signs of AI — such as the distorted NFL, Nike and Eagles logos — further prove it isn’t genuine.
(Hive Moderation)
Additionally, we found no evidence of Sirianni said the quote shared in the claim.
The story about Sirianni standing up to the NFL for its alleged ban on rainbows very much resembled glurge, which Dictionary.com defines as “stories, often sent by email, that are supposed to be true and uplifting, but which are often fabricated and sentimental.” In this case, the rumor seemed to inspire people supporting the LGBTQ+ community to praise Sirianni for his alleged actions.
The NFL’s official website hosts a “Football is for Everyone” page that features a rainbow NFL logo. The page reads:
For further reading, Snopes previously reported on other stories that could be classified as glurge, such as rumors 300 bikers shut down a Walmart to defend a veteran and NHL star Connor McDavid donated $12.9 million for homeless centers.
“NFL.Com | Official Site of the National Football League.” NFL.Com, https://www.nfl.com/causes/pride/. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
“NFL.Com | Official Site of the National Football League.” NFL.Com, https://www.nfl.com/playerhealthandsafety/resources/press-releases/. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
“Premier League Ends Partnership with LGBTQ+ Charity Stonewall.” BBC Sport, 8 Aug. 2025, https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cm2vkgelrwwo.
