Steelers at Ravens 12/27/15
Ben Roethlisberger losing several fingers in a fireworks accident on the 4th of July is fake news. There is no truth to a report that the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was involved in an accident while shooting fireworks on Independence Day.
Rather his fake story is a ripoff of a real one involving a different NFL player. Steelers fans can rest easy that their quarterback is fine ahead of the next season.
Where did this fake news originate? The Lockerdome web site published an article on July 4, 2017 reporting that Roethlisberger had lost several fingers in a fireworks accident:
BREAKING: Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Loses Multiple Fingers In 4th of July Firework Accident
In an unfortunate event this afternoon during a BBQ with friends, Pittsburgh Steelers All Pro QB Ben Roethlisberger suffered a firework injury to his throwing hand. Initial reports state that Ben was holding a tape of some of his Superbowl highlights and they were so hot, they burst into flames while still in his hand.
However, there is no truth to this report, according to Snopes. While the article did not contain a disclaimer or a tag labeling it as fiction, there were several ways to suggest fake news.
Here are some examples of people who shared the fake news on social media.
Ronnie Menesini https://t.co/QBX5GkPGsb
— chuck mote (@ChuckMote) July 8, 2017
https://t.co/XolHa3MvJT https://t.co/a1iTlz3tIO
— Mark Hayes (@mhayes0361) July 7, 2017
Tammy Weekley https://t.co/ODpb0KVdRW
— Trane Richmond DSO (@TraneRichmondDS) July 6, 2017
Steeler fans wya https://t.co/NqbOmY6ZOY
— Isick (@i_navarro7) July 6, 2017
@thechovanone Guess this hurts AB’s value this year… https://t.co/e9GjmF1O4F
— Caleb Chovan (@CalebChovan) July 6, 2017
Kimberly Rowe, Catherine Clement Dylan Meitzler https://t.co/1hAcUlL0pu
— Rowe’s Graphics (@RoweWebDesign) July 5, 2017
BREAKING: Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Loses Multiple Fingers In 4th of July Firework Accident https://t.co/8vSY6nEWKO
— GK Nation (@NationGK) July 4, 2017
For example, it was penned by “Happy Gilmore,” the titular character of an Adam Sandler movie. And if you remember in that movie, Gilmore’s caddy had lost his hand to an alligator. Clearly, a sick joke for this fake story.
More importantly, there were no official statements from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL, Roethlisberger, or any other legitimate major news outlet.
Of course, the most obvious indication that this was a piece of fake news came in the article’s second paragraph:
In other reports coming out of the Steelers front office, this article was mainly written to scare the living shit out of a Steelers fan you love/hate.
The fake news article did include an image of a NFL player who truly did lose fingers in a fireworks accident. However, the photograph actually showed New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who lost his right index finger to a fireworks accident in 2015.
On July 4, 2015, Pierre-Paul sustained a serious hand injury in a fireworks accident at his home, and four days later he had his right index finger amputated.
On Thursday, Big Ben actually attended Bruce Arians’ charity golf classic that supports Arians’ foundation that works towards “supporting and developing programs that strive to prevent the abuse and neglect of children.”
Arians and Roethlisberger both arrived in Pittsburgh in 2004, with Arians serving as Pittsburgh’s receivers coach. He was eventually promoted to offensive coordinator in 2007 while helping the Steelers win the Super Bowl the following season.
What did you think of the fake news about the Steelers quarterback losing his fingers in a fireworks accident? Did you believe it or see people sharing it falsely on social media? Let us know in the comments section.
Photo Credit: Source