claim: A photograph shows Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers holding a "Stand for the flag, Kneel for the cross" shirt.
origin: An image purportedly showing Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers holding a â€œStand for the flag, kneel for the crossâ€ shirt circulated online in September 2017 amidst the controversy over players kneeling during the national anthem in protest of inequality and police brutality: This is not a genuine photograph of Aaron Rodgers. Both the pictured personâ€™s face and the t-shirt design have been altered.Â The original image was taken in the gift lounge at the MGM Grand Arena during the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on 7 April 2013 and showed musician George Strait holding a â€œStraight Shootin Country Boyâ€ t-shirt. That photograph, available via Getty Images, was used as the basis to create several other promotional images of Straight holding up various t-shirts: Surprisingly, this image has also been doctored to sell products unrelated to George Straight related. In addition to changing the t-shirt design, some vendors also placed another personâ€™s face on Straightâ€™s body in order to sell a variety of merchandise. We found versions of this image featuring musician Willie Nelson, actor Kit Harington, President Donald Trump, and New England Patriots Coach Bill Belichick: Doctoring an image to make it appear as if a celebrity is wearing (or endorsing) a clothing item is a common tactic amongst some t-shirt vendors. The doctoredÂ image of comedian Bill Murray and author Hunter S. Thompson wearing vulgar t-shirts, for instance, originated with a promotional campaign.Â In this case, the doctored message on the shirt appears to counter the quarterbackâ€™s actual beliefs about the â€œtake a kneeâ€ protests. Before the Packers game on 24 September 2017, Rodgers linked arms with his teammates to show solidarity during the national anthem. He also posted a photograph of himself and other players kneeling along with the hashtag #unity: Â < Â #unity #brotherhood #family #dedication #love # A post shared by Aaron Rodgers (@aaronrodgers12) on Sep 24, 2017 at 6:34am PDT > Â