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“BREAKING: The NFL has abruptly fired three referees who officiated the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams for their involvement in the largest bribery scheme in NFL history,” a Dec. 16 Facebook post said.
This post 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, Instagram and Threads.)
The Facebook post linked in the comments sections to a Dec. 16 blog post on a website titled “Tin TInh Thanh.”
The four-paragraph blog post didn’t elaborate. It claimed “the NFL has announced the abrupt dismissal of three referees who officiated the high-stakes game” and that “sources close to the investigation reveal that irregularities in crucial game calls prompted a deeper probe, ultimately uncovering evidence of misconduct.”
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The blog post also quoted a purported NFL spokesperson as saying, “The integrity of the game is our top priority. These actions are unacceptable, and we are taking immediate steps to address this issue.”
An actual NFL spokesperson didn’t respond to PolitiFact’s questions about the post.
But we found no evidence to corroborate it.
We found no credible news reporting or public statements from the NFL or the officials in that game to lend credence to the Facebook and blog posts.
We rate this post False.
Blog post, Dec. 16, 2024
NFL, National Football League Game Summary, Dec. 12, 2024
The Athletic, Game, visited Dec. 20, 2024
49ers, 49ers Drop Week 15 Matchup to the Rams; Five Takeaways from #LARvsSF, Dec. 12, 2024
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