Admin June 14, 2024
Here’s why Packers fans should feel safe in São Paulo for game
Packers’ Josh Jacobs gave an interview suggesting safety is iffy in São Paulo, and those wearing green are in danger. Here’s the real story.
The claim: NFL told Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles they can’t wear green in Brazil due to ‘gangs’
A June 6 Threads post (direct link, archive link) shows Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love.
“BREAKING: The #NFL is telling Green Bay #Packers & Philadelphia #Eagles players that they are NOT ALLOWED TO WEAR THE COLOR GREEN in Brazil for the opener, due the GANGS (sic),” reads text in the post. “Teams will likely be forced to stay in the hotel all week and travel in armored vehicles, per former Raiders Josh Jacobs.”
The post was liked more than 800 times in a week. A similar post on X, formerly Twitter, was reposted more than 3,000 times in a week.
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Our rating: False
The claim is false, according to a league spokesperson. A rivalry between two Brazilian soccer clubs means green is customarily banned at the stadium, but that won’t apply to the game between the Eagles and Packers.
Stadium’s ban on green only applies to Brazilian soccer rivalry
In April, the NFL announced the Eagles and Packers would compete Sept. 6 in the first regular season game in Brazil. The game will be played at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, home to the Brazilian soccer team Corinthians.
The viral claim seems to have originated with Packers running back Josh Jacobs. During a June 6 appearance on the podcast “Green Light with Chris Long”, he suggested it wasn’t safe to wear green in that part of Brazil and that he believed it had “something to do with the gangs,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
But it isn’t true, NFL spokesperson Tim Schlittner told USA TODAY. Instead, Schlittner explained green is traditionally “prohibited” at the stadium because it’s the color for Palmeiras, a rival soccer club to Corinthians.
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“None of that applies to the Green Bay-Philadelphia game, where fans of both Packers and Eagles will be wearing green,” Schlittner said.
Jacobs, who played five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders before signing with the Packers in March, later apologized, explaining in an Instagram post he “was misinformed.”
Several men’s soccer teams wore green in matches at the stadium during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil, including Nigeria, Iraq and South Africa.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Lead Stories also debunked the claim.
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