What bullshit.
Sports cardiologists do not see these deaths!
But people staring at their screens have superman's vision-VBG-
In a world of 8 billion people
Who are these nobodies?
How about a few well known professionals in any sport
John Stockton
stated on January 23, 2022 in an interview:
“There’s 150 I believe now – it’s over 100 professional athletes dead, professional athletes, the prime of their life, dropping dead that are vaccinated, right on the pitch, right on the field, right on the court."
 
NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SPORTS CORONAVIRUS JOHN STOCKTON
 
In this file photo, former Gonzaga player John Stockton talks about his career during a National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame induction event Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP)
By Samantha PuttermanJanuary 26, 2022
John Stockton’s claim that ‘hundreds’ of athletes are abruptly dying from COVID-19 vaccines is bogus
IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT
Stockton’s claim is not backed up by any scientific evidence. There have been no reports linking the COVID-19 vaccines to heart issues in athletes and sports cardiologists said they haven’t seen athletes collapse after getting vaccinated against the virus.
Previous lists of athletes this has supposedly happened to have included people who didn’t die, didn’t get the vaccine, or had a family history of heart issues.
See the sources for this fact-check
NBA All-Star John Stockton made headlines after he revealed in a recent interview that his alma mater, Gonzaga University, suspended his basketball season tickets after he refused to comply with the school’s mask mandate for sporting events.
Masks aren’t Stockton’s only issue. The former Utah Jazz player has detailed his stance against COVID-19 vaccines and lockdowns for some time and appeared in a 2021 documentary called "Covid and the Vaccine: Truth, Lies and Misconceptions Revealed."
Now, he’s made a series of false claims about the pandemic in an interview with his hometown newspaper the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, and notably repeated a persistent myth about professional athletes abruptly dying from the vaccines.
"And I think it’s highly recorded now, there’s 150 I believe now — it’s over 100 professional athletes dead, professional athletes, the prime of their life, dropping dead that are vaccinated, right on the pitch, right on the field, right on the court," Stockton told the newspaper on Jan. 23.
PolitiFact could not reach Stockton to ask him about his evidence. But we have debunked similar claims that said professional athletes were supposedly collapsing due to heart issues brought on by the COVID-19 vaccines, and while the narrative continues to be spread by critics of the pandemic like Stockton, there is still no credible evidence to support it.
Previous lists of athletes who purportedly died from the COVID-19 vaccines have included people who hadn’t died or hadn’t gotten the vaccine. There have been no official reports linking the vaccines to heart issues in athletes, and multiple sports cardiologists have called the claims unfounded.
"To date, I am not aware of a single COVID vaccine-related cardiac complication in the professional sports," said Matthew Martinez, a sports cardiologist who works with the National Football League, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Soccer and who is the director of sports cardiology at Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey.
The same goes for Jonathan Kim, an associate professor of medicine and chief of sports cardiology at Emory University in Atlanta. "I am not aware of any reports that vaccines in athletes are causing cardiac issues," he said.
While the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines have been well documented, the shots have been associated with inflammation of the heart muscle, called myocarditis, with teenage boys and young men most likely to be affected. But the risk is very low, and most cases are mild with a quick recovery. Doctors say the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risk of myocarditis.
While still rare, the risk of myocarditis also appears to be higher following a COVID-19 infection, with one study finding that boys and young men infected with the virus are up to six times more likely to develop the heart condition than those who have received the vaccine.
The CDC says it has not detected any unusual or unexpected patterns for deaths following immunization that would indicate that the COVID-19 vaccines are causing or contributing to deaths, outside of nine confirmed deaths following the Janssen vaccine from Johnson & Johnson. These deaths resulted from complications of thrombosis, a rare and serious adverse reaction involving blood clots, the agency said.
Examples of prominent athletes abruptly dying from vaccine, and why they’re wrong
One person who appeared in previous lists about athletes who died while playing is Italian soccer player Giuseppe Perrino. But Perrino’s death hasn’t been linked to the COVID-19 vaccines.
FEATURED FACT-CHECK
 
Instagram posts
stated on February 20, 2023 in an Instagram post
“Because the Covid shots are still manufactured under the Emergency Use Authorization, they can change up to 49% of the ingredients without FDA approval."
By Samantha Putterman • February 22, 2023
He died of a heart attack on June 2 while playing in a soccer game honoring his brother, who had died of a heart attack while cycling in 2018. A headline on a news story about Perrino’s death reads, "Heart attack kills Giuseppe Perrino like brother Rocco." Stories about his death do not mention COVID-19 vaccination.
Another person cited, Dutch speed skater Kjeld Nuis, 32, did have a heart problem in July 2021 a week after he received the COVID-19 vaccine, according to news coverage at the time, but he didn’t die. Nuis posted on Instagram later that month saying that he was fine and that he was at training camp. He did not say whether he believed his COVID-19 vaccination contributed to his heart problem or whether it was linked to his athletic activity. Nuis had tested positive for COVID-19 in October 2020.
Other examples include:
Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen, 29, collapsed during a match on June 12, and his team director said he wasn’t vaccinated for COVID-19. He is still alive.
Former French soccer player, Franck Berrier, 37, died of a heart attack in August while playing tennis — two years after retiring from soccer because of heart problems. Stories about his death do not mention any link to COVID-19 vaccination.
Keyontae Johnson, a 22-year-old University of Florida basketball player, collapsed on Dec. 12, 2020, days before the COVID-19 vaccine was made available to people in the U.S. His collapse wasn’t related to COVID-19, according to a Feb. 3, 2021, statement from his family.
A young athlete experiencing cardiac arrest is not common, but it’s also not unprecedented. And there are different reasons an athlete might collapse.
Michael Emery, co-director of the Cleveland Clinic Sports Cardiology Center, said that dehydration, heat stroke and genetic heart conditions, among other factors, can lead to collapse.
NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar criticized Stockton over his remarks.
"I think John’s reaction to the vaccine is extreme and not based on reality or facts," Abdul-Jabbar told CNN. "If John could just check the facts out, he would understand that this vaccine is saving lives and preventing people from having serious reactions to the virus. It won’t eliminate the virus overnight, but it will stop people from dying and will stop people from becoming seriously ill."
Our ruling
Stockton claimed over 100 professional athletes who are vaccinated are "dropping dead, right on the pitch, right on the field, right on the court."
This is not backed up by any science or actual data. There have been no official reports linking the vaccines to heart issues in athletes and sports cardiologists said they haven’t seen athletes collapse after getting vaccinated against the virus.
Lists of athletes this has supposedly happened to have included people who didn’t die, didn’t get the vaccine, or had a family history of heart issues.
We rate this False.
Our SourcesThe Spokesman Review, Q&A: John Stockton talks Gonzaga basketball suspension, COVID-19 vaccine opposition and more, Jan. 23, 2022
PolitiFact, Dozens of prominent athletes did not die of heart attacks after COVID-19 vaccination, Nov. 19, 2021
PolitiFact, There’s no proof athletes collapsed with heart issues because of COVID-19 vaccination, Dec. 1, 2021
The Hill, Abdul-Jabbar says Stockton vaccine comments make athletes look like 'dumb jocks', Jan. 24, 2022
PubMed, Risk of Myocarditis from COVID-19 Infection in People Under Age 20: A Population-Based Analysis, July 27, 2022
Email interview, Scott Pauley, press officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jan. 25, 2022
READ ABOUT OUR PROCESS
The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter
Browse the Truth-O-MeterMORE BY SAMANTHA PUTTERMAN
slide 4 to 6 of 15
 
Facebook posts
stated on January 18, 2023 a Facebook post:
Document shows that Hunter Biden paid Joe Biden $50,000 a month in rent.
 
By Samantha Putterman • January 19, 2023
Instagram posts
stated on January 11, 2023 an Instagram post:
“More contraception availability increases abortion demand."
By Samantha Putterman • January 18, 2023
 
Tweets
stated on January 8, 2023 a tweet:
Photo shows a copycat ‘QAnon shaman’ at attack on Brazil’s capital.
By Samantha Putterman • January 9, 2023
Instagram posts
stated on February 19, 2023 an Instagram post:
Apple will pay customers $700 for a slowed-down iPhone.
By Samantha Putterman • February 24, 2023
Instagram posts
stated on February 20, 2023 an Instagram post:
“Because the Covid shots are still manufactured under the Emergency Use Authorization, they can change up to 49% of the ingredients without FDA approval."
By Samantha Putterman • February 22, 2023
Facebook posts
stated on February 13, 2023 a Facebook post:
The Michigan State University shooter is a 21-year-old man named Lynn Dee Walker.
By Samantha Putterman • February 14, 2023
 
Dave Grohl
stated on February 12, 2023 a Super Bowl ad:
Canada is to thank for American football.
 
By Samantha Putterman • February 13, 2023
 
Joe Biden
stated on February 7, 2023 the State of the Union:
“In the past two years, democracies have become stronger, not weaker. Autocracies have grown weaker, not stronger.”
By Samantha Putterman • February 9, 2023
Facebook posts
stated on January 31, 2023 a Facebook post:
Backyard chicken flocks have stopped laying eggs, and the feed is responsible.
By Samantha Putterman • February 7, 2023
Tweets
stated on January 25, 2023 a tweet:
“Female student-athletes in Florida need to provide their schools with detailed information about their periods.”
 
By Samantha Putterman • February 3, 2023
Facebook posts
stated on January 25, 2023 a video:
The United States of America “no longer exists” because President Joe Biden “signed away our sovereignty as a nation.”
 
By Samantha Putterman • January 30, 2023
Instagram posts
stated on January 22, 2023 an Instagram post:
The sinking of the Titanic was orchestrated by the Rothschilds and J.P. Morgan to kill prominent businessmen who opposed the creation of the Federal Reserve.
By Samantha Putterman • January 26, 2023
 
TikTok posts
stated on January 19, 2023 a TikTok post:
“Chickens aren’t laying eggs because RNA is being added to commercial chicken feed.”
By Samantha Putterman • January 25, 2023
Instagram posts
stated on January 18, 2023 an Instagram post:
Bill Gates tweeted that “vaccines in our food supply solves the problem of vaccine hesitancy.”
By Samantha Putterman • January 20, 2023
TikTok posts
stated on January 11, 2023 a video:
Harvard Medical School students “learn how to care for LGBTQIA+ infants.”
By Samantha Putterman • January 20, 2023
Facebook posts
stated on January 18, 2023 a Facebook post:
Document shows that Hunter Biden paid Joe Biden $50,000 a month in rent.
By Samantha Putterman • January 19, 2023
Instagram posts
stated on January 11, 2023 an Instagram post:
“More contraception availability increases abortion demand."
By Samantha Putterman • January 18, 2023
Tweets
stated on January 8, 2023 a tweet:
Photo shows a copycat ‘QAnon shaman’ at attack on Brazil’s capital.
By Samantha Putterman • January 9, 2023
Instagram posts
stated on February 19, 2023 an Instagram post:
Apple will pay customers $700 for a slowed-down iPhone.
By Samantha Putterman • February 24, 2023
Instagram posts
stated on February 20, 2023 an Instagram post:
“Because the Covid shots are still manufactured under the Emergency Use Authorization, they can change up to 49% of the ingredients without FDA approval."
By Samantha Putterman • February 22, 2023
Facebook posts
stated on February 13, 2023 a Facebook post:
The Michigan State University shooter is a 21-year-old man named Lynn Dee Walker.
By Samantha Putterman • February 14, 2023
JOHN STOCKTON’S CLAIM THAT ‘HUNDREDS’ OF ATHLETES ARE ABRUPTLY DYING FROM COVID-19 VACCINES IS BOGUS
 
Marjorie Taylor Greene
stated on March 3, 2023 in a Conservative Political Action Conference speech:
Says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants America’s “sons and daughters to go die in Ukraine.”
By Madison Czopek • March 3, 2023
Facebook posts
stated on February 19, 2023 in a Facebook post:
In Ohio, “there are 75,000 acres of farmland, fertile farmland, that are all now being poured down with acid rain.”
By Loreben Tuquero • March 3, 2023
Facebook posts
stated on February 20, 2023 in a post:
“Muslims by the millions are converting to Christianity.”
By Gabrielle Settles • March 3, 2023
Instagram posts
stated on February 24, 2023 in an Instagram post:
Digital IDs were given to residents in East Palestine, Ohio, “to track long term health problems like difficulty breathing” before the Feb. 3 train derailment.
By Loreben Tuquero • March 2, 2023
 
Kat Cammack
stated on March 2, 2023 in a speech at CPAC:
The Justice Department has been “calling parents that are concerned about what their kids are being taught, they are labeling them terrorists.”
By Madison Czopek • March 2, 2023
 
Pete Buttigieg
stated on February 21, 2023 in a tweet:
Sen. Marco Rubio signed a 2021 letter that “supports waivers that would reduce visual track inspections.”
 
By Madison Czopek • March 2, 2023
Facebook posts
stated on February 25, 2023 in a Facebook post:
Photo of electric charging station “powered by diesel generator” is emblematic of the electric vehicle movement.
By Jeff Cercone • February 28, 2023
Facebook posts
stated on February 22, 2023 in a Facebook post:
“Official govt docs expose Michelle Obama’s 14 year history as a man.”
By Ciara O'Rourke • February 28, 2023
Instagram posts
stated on February 26, 2023 in an Instagram post:
"Woody Harrelson’s 60 seconds in the middle of his monologue was cut out of the edits released after the show.”
By Jeff Cercone • February 28, 2023
Facebook posts
stated on February 27, 2023 in a Facebook post:
“BREAKING Trump preps Marines to stop presidential coup.”
By Ciara O'Rourke • February 28, 2023
Load more
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.
Sign me up
OFFICES
District of Columbia
1800 I Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
Florida
801 3rd St. S
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727-821-9494
PEOPLE
All People Joe Biden Kamala Harris Charles Schumer Mitch McConnell Bernie Sanders Nancy Pelosi Donald Trump
STATE EDITIONS
California Florida Illinois Iowa Missouri New York North Carolina Pennsylvania Texas Virginia West Virginia Vermont Wisconsin Michigan
ABOUT US
Our Process Our Staff Who pays for PolitiFact? Advertise with Us Corrections and Updates
RSS FEEDS
Recent Articles and Fact-checks Recent Fact-checks
Suggest a Fact-check
FOLLOW US
THE FACTS NEWSLETTER
Sign up
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
Copyright
©All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
 |
