Once every few weeks -- and, more recently, once per day -- a false report emerges of a big-name NFL player breaking both legs in a car accident.
It started, as best we can tell, last year with Falcons receiver Julio Jones. The situation created enough buzz that the Falcons had to put out word that Jones is fine
Since then, multiple other players have been linked to the phony broke-both-legs story. We actually wrote a blurb about the phenomenon in March, when Clay Matthews became the latest name attached to the made-up story. Most recently, it’s been Peyton Manning (for at least the second time), Geno Smith, and Aaron Rodgers, in rapid-fire succession.
Though in the past we’ve resisted sharing the link, we need to do so in order to illustrate that it can be anyone. All you have to do is change the name and the location in the URL.
From Aaron Rodgers. To me. To Carlos Danger. To Ron Mexico.
It’s all fake. It’s all phony. Still, there’s no reason to believe we won’t continue to get emails and tweets asking if other big-name NFL players have broken both legs in a car accident.
Eventually, a big-name player will break both legs in a car accident. And of course no one will believe it.