Viral claim about a dead body at Ford Field is baseless
The claim: Detroit’s Ford Field closed because a ‘partially eaten corpse’ was found onsite
A March 23 post on X, formerly Twitter, shows a photo of Ford Field, home of the NFL’s Detroit Lions. The post shares an announcement about the stadium.
“BREAKING: #Lions Ford Field will remained (sic) closed until the end of the month following a partially eaten corpse being found in the facilities (sic) water filtration system Friday night,” the post reads. “This is the second weekend in a row a body had been found on the premises and has forced the Detroit Police Department to launch an investigation into the mysterious incident.”
The post was reposted more than 3,000 times on X and shared in at least two TikTok videos that received thousands of likes. It was also shared on Facebook.
Our rating: False
Both the Detroit Police Department and the Lions said the claim is baseless. It originated on a page that regularly posts false NFL claims.
Ford Field still scheduled to host games, events
Brian Facchini, spokesperson for the Detroit Lions, and Dayna Clark, spokesperson for the Detroit Police Department, both told USA TODAY there is no truth to the claim. There are no credible reports that a body was found at Ford Field, much less a partially eaten one. Ford Field remains open, according to its events page. The stadium is scheduled to host United Football League Games starting on Saturday and will host events for fans during the NFL draft starting April 25.
The account where the claim originated, NFC North News, regularly posts false or exaggerated claims related to the NFL. Its bio on X includes the statement, “Don’t believe everything you see on the internet.”
USA TODAY reached out to NFC North News for comment but did not immediately
receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
Brian Facchini, March 26, phone interview with USA TODAY
Dayna Clark, March 27, email interview with USA TODAY
Ford Field, accessed March 25, Events page
Ford Field, accessed March 25, United Football League
Ford Field, accessed March 25, 2024 NFL draft
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