In January 2025 claims started circulating that the Detroit Lions, a football team based in Detroit, Michigan, made a $50 million donation to support recovery efforts following the January 2025 Los Angeles-area fires. The fires, which started on Jan. 7, killed at least 24 people and destroyed thousands of buildings, according to Cal Fire.
Other examples of the claim circulated on X (archived) and in Detroit Lions fan groups on
(Various/Facebook)
However, a Detroit Lions spokesperson confirmed via email on Jan. 16 that reports of the $50 million donation were "not real." The team was "still discussing our support efforts," the spokesperson said. Therefore, we rate this claim false.
The claim appears to have originated from a Jan. 10 article on a clickbait website called Luxury Blog. The contact information for the site featuring the article leads to a web address in Reykjavik, Iceland, that also hosts The Icelandic Phallological Museum. On Jan. 12, a longer version of the article published on another questionable website included an alleged quote from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass that was not reported anywhere else.
Also on Jan. 10, the National Football League (NFL) said it had made a $5 million donation to the Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts. The Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans and NFL Foundation contributed to the donation, according to a news release. A Detroit Lions spokesperson said the team did not contribute to that donation.