A viral video claiming to show New England Patriots QB Drake Maye talking about why he refused to wear an LGBT rainbow captain’s armband at the Super Bowl is fake and appears to have been created using AI. The video has gone viral on Facebook, TikTok and X, with hundreds of thousands of views. But Maye never said anything about an armband during his Super Bowl press conferences and there is no indication the NFL asked Maye or other players to wear an armband supporting the LGBT community.
Other claims on social media say Seahawks QB Sam Darnold, who will face Maye at Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, California, on February 8, 2026, also refused to wear a LGBT armband when asked to do so by the NFL, but those claims are also fake.
Players in the Super Bowl will wear patches featuring the Super Bowl logo, as well as a USA 250 patch celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States of America. The Seahawks will also wear a 50th anniversary patch, as they have all season.
The Fake Video of Drake Maye Talking About the LGBT Armband Has Been Amplified by Major Accounts on TikTok, X & Facebook
Welp, now I know who I will be rooting for in this year’s Super Bowl.
The fake video of Drake Maye explaining why he refused to wear an LGBT armband was amplified on several social media websites by users with big platforms. On X, one user, PamelaHensley22, with more than 215,000 followers, wrote on February 7, “Patriots QB Drake May refused to wear an LGBTQ pride armband. He said, ‘no one has the right to force me to betray my Faith.’ Welp, now I know who I will be rooting for in this year’s Super Bowl.”
That post has a community note that reads, “Drake Maye did not refuse to wear an LGBTQ pride armband or make the quoted statement; the NFL does not require players to wear such armbands, and the claim is part of a debunked spam campaign using fake quotes.”
On Instagram, the account @usa_headline posted the video with the caption, “Drake Maye refuses to wear the rainbow armband.” The video has more than 10,000 likes and hundreds of comments responding without realizing the video is not real.
The video was also shared on TikTok, Facebook and Threads without an indication that it is fake and likely AI-generated.
Drake Maye Did Talk About His Christian Faith at the Super Bowl
While the LGBT armband story is fake, Drake Maye did speak openly about his Christian faith during Super Bowl week. He also wore a Nike sweatshirt inspired by his faith, that features a cross and bible with the words, “Be a Blessing” on it. The phrase was inspired by Patriots chaplain James Mitchell, who says it often in the team’s chapel, Maye told reporters.
“Just trying to shine light on others. Spread the word, spread the good news. So, Nike was kind enough to make some sweatshirts for the guys. We’ve got 30 or 40 guys wearing the sweatshirt around. It’s a cool thing,” Maye said at the Super Bowl.
Maye also told reporters when asked about his Christian faith and how it has helped him throughout the season, “It’s a constant in my life. You know, one of the best things about a football team is that there’s brothers on the team that are followers of Christ and being able to share in thoughts and sit down at chapel and listen to our chaplain Mitch talk before a game, is just so powerful.”
The Patriots quarterback added, “And realizing, you know, the night before a game that we’re in here spreading the word and listening to the word and knowing that that’s bigger than football, has been just a thing for me to lean on and take my thoughts away from football and know that this is my purpose and this is why I’m here on this stage today and being able to shine a light on others and get them to follow Jesus Christ is what I’m here for and what God put me here to do.”
Fake Drake Maye LGBT Rainbow Armband Video Goes Viral Before Patriots Super Bowl