On Thursday, a strange rumor began circulating from 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 looking forward to in the Packers’ season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and his answer was completely different than what the NFL and Brazil wanted to hear.
The two-time Pro Bowl player, who signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Packers in March, claims he was told he would not be allowed to wear green and that the area was dangerous and players might have to stay off the streets unless they were in an armored vehicle.
Jacobs commented:
We were told that in the part of Brazil we were going to, we couldn’t even wear green… Maybe it had something to do with gangs or something.
They said, “We’re not going to Rio.” They said Rio was a place where we probably wouldn’t even be allowed to leave… Maybe armored vehicles would come after us. I said, “Hey, why are we here? Why are we here?”
They were like, “Just pack black and white,” because they were like, “When you come here, we don’t want you to have an accident.”
Considering the Packers and Eagles are two of only three NFL teams that use green as their primary color, it would be really odd to have these teams play in a venue where they can’t safely wear green.
Jacobs bases his argument on soccer rivalry, as the Arena Corinthians, where the match will be played, is home to Palmeiras’ green-and-red-wearing rivals, Corinthians, and there is a significant history of violence between the two fanbases.
However, NFL spokesman Michael Signora responded the next day, via Jeff Neiberg of the Philadelphia Inquirer, doing his best to deny Jacobs’ claims: “The stadium will be filled with fans wearing Eagles green and Packers green uniforms,” Signora was quoted as saying.
He also called Jacobs’ claims “untrue,” adding that the “controversy over the color green pertains to football” and will not affect NFL games.
According to the Brazilian Eagles fan community on X, the misinformation may have started when a Corinthians representative jokingly said the team should avoid wearing green uniforms when the match was first announced. The Inquirer also reports that Sao Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes made a similar joke about the uniform color during a recent press conference.
Jacobs appeared to receive the message, posting to his Instagram Story on Friday, “Damn, misinformation. Sorry Brazil, see you soon.”
Hopefully, all is clear and kickoff is still scheduled for September 6th at 8:15pm ET in São Paulo.
