A report circulating this week claims that NASCAR star Jeff Gordon has admitted to being in a relationship with openly-gay driver Stephen Rhodes. Is this true or false?
The story is satire.
No such announcement was made. This fake story comes from Empire Sports, a satirical website. In the fake article, we read:
As if the sports world didn’t have enough people coming out of the closet. A highly respected member of the NASCAR community has come out and admitted he is in a relationship with a fellow openly gay NASCAR member. Jeff Gordon who is going through a divorce said that he is now dating openly gay driver Stephen Rhodes. Gordon joins a list of male athletes who are new to the openly gay sports world.
About Empire Sports
This website’s disclaimer reads, “Empire Sports is a satirical and entertainment website. Empire Sports uses invented names in all its stories, except in cases when public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental.”
Stephen Rhodes, who is openly gay, announced in 2013 that hoped to make a NASCAR comeback. Jeff Gordon is not gay, and is married to a woman and has two children.
Bottom Line
The story claiming that Jeff Gordon is dating Stephen Rhodes is fake. It originated from a satirical website.