If you’re like me, I bet you grow irritated with the amount of information constantly flying at you daily. If you’re even more like me, you get frustrated with fake news headlines intended to get you to visit someone’s website.

While “click-baiting” is a new age term, headline writing is an art that goes back way before the days of the Internet, as a tactic to get you to purchase a newspaper. And fake news is no different, as deadlines, bad sources, rumors, and misinformation only multiplied when the mechanism of delivery increased tenfold (Dewey Defeats Truman).

I’m not one to typically respond to all of the fake stories out there, but one in particular, which was reported on a now deleted tweet, is stirring up controversy for no reason:

Some #Steelers took a knee in the end zone prior, then rejoined on the sideline for the National Anthem

Whoever tweeted or shared this, as well as those reporting on it and adding to the commentary, must not have been to Heinz Field.

In years.

Some Pittsburgh Steelers have ALWAYS taken a knee prior to the game. In the case of players coming out of the locker room for the national anthem, something that has been commonplace in the NFL now since 2009, that means the players go from the tunnel to the north end zone, where they stop near the goal line and kneel… in prayer.

Having been to many games in person, I have captured this trend several times on video when going live on Facebook, Periscope, and YouTube for game day introductions. You can see for yourself in the clips below that the players join together for a team prayer prior to the game. (For brevity, feel free to fast forward to the end of each clip where I typically shutdown the video before the playing of the anthem.)

Bengals game 2017

https://www.facebook.com/steelcityunderground/videos/1695069660534708/

Jaguars game 2017

https://www.facebook.com/steelcityunderground/videos/1679203318788009/

Yes, even back during the preseason

https://www.facebook.com/steelcityunderground/videos/1626739880701020/

Last season too

https://www.facebook.com/steelcityunderground/videos/1340477305993947/

I could go back even further via our official Facebook page but I see no point in being a broken record. The Steelers did, in fact, take a knee before the anthem. But don’t be mislead into thinking it was for any political posturing. There may be players who feel strongly about current social issues, and likely disagree, with some on each side of the fence. However, the news reports that are out there appear to be falsely linking a traditional pregame prayer session to the current political landscape.

Note: To protect the guilty, some of whom are colleagues of mine in this industry, I won’t mention what site(s) are spreading this lie. I don’t care to drag their name(s) through the mud. My only intention was to show that this is a fake story that should be squared immediately.