A curious rumor spread Thursday, the source of which was the mouth of Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs.
During an appearance on the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast, Jacobs was asked what he was most excited about for the Packers’ scheduled season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles in São Paulo, Brazil. His answer wasn’t exactly what the NFL and Brazil would have wanted to hear.
The two-time Pro Bowler, who signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Packers in March, claimed he was told people weren’t allowed to wear green and that the area was dangerous enough that players might have to stay. off the streets unless they were in armored vehicles.
Jacobs’ comments:
They said that in the part of Brazil we’re going to, you can’t even wear green… I think it has something to do with the gangs and stuff.
They said, ‘We’re not going to Rio.’ They told us it’s one of those places where they probably won’t even let us leave… They’ll probably have armored vehicles following us. I said, ‘Bro, why are we here? Why are we here?’
They said, ‘Just pack black and white colors,’ because they said, ‘If you come here, we don’t want any accidents.’
Considering that the Packers and Eagles are two of the three NFL teams that use green as their primary color, it would be quite strange indeed to have them play in a place where you can’t safely wear green.
The basis of Jacobs’ claims boils down to football rivalry, as Arena Corinthians, where the match will be held, is home to Corinthians, a red-wearing club whose mortal enemies Palmeiras wear green. There is a significant history of violence between the two fan bases.
However, NFL spokesman Michael Signora responded the next day via Jeff Neiburg of the Philadelphia Inquirer and did his best to debunk Jacobs’ claims. Signora reportedly said, “You will see a stadium full of fans wearing the green of the Eagles and the green of the Packers.”
He also added that Jacob’s claims were “not true” and that “the discussion about the color green is related to football” without any impact on the NFL game.
According to a Brazilian community of Eagles fans on wear. The Inquirer also notes that São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes made a similar joke about the colors of the jerseys during a recent press conference.
Jacobs apparently got the message and posted, “Damn, I was misinformed. Sorry Brazil, see you soon.” on his Instagram story Friday.
Now that all of that has hopefully settled down, kickoff is still scheduled for September 6 at 8:15 PM ET in São Paulo.
