- Ads falsely claiming the Philadelphia Eagles endorsed Kamala Harris have popped up around the city.
- The company responsible for the bus shelters said someone had broken in to place the misleading ads.
It's not just the Dallas Cowboys sparking the Philadelphia Eagles' ire as the NFL season and Election Day near.
Someone posted ads at bus stops around the city falsely claiming that the team endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. The ads show a drawing of a person resembling Harris holding a football and wearing an Eagles helmet with "Kamala" in all caps underneath, according to NBC 10, a local TV station. The Eagles' logo and the text "Official Candidate of the Philadelphia Eagles" is also included.
"We are aware counterfeit political ads are being circulated and are working with our advertising partner to have them removed," the Eagles wrote on their official X account on Monday.
The Eagles have not endorsed Harris or any other candidate in the 2024 race. Pennsylvania is widely regarded as the most important battleground in the election, meaning Eagles fans could play a major role in selecting the next president.
Locals are not happy with the ads. At least one of the bus shelters now has images of the Eagles' tweet denouncing the ads plastered all over it.
LISTEN: @Eagles fan Joe from South Philly explains why he is out at bus shelter at 34th & Walnut, covering one of the what the team called “counterfeit political ads.” pic.twitter.com/jLys1DsKpZ
— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) September 3, 2024
Intersection Media, the company responsible for the bus ads, said they were unauthorized and accused whoever placed them of breaking into their locked cases to post them.
"We are aware that several of our bus shelters located in Philadelphia have been vandalized and that the paid advertising copy in each of those shelters has been replaced with unauthorized copy," the company said in a statement to Business Insider. "While our bus shelters have locks that typically prevent the installation of unauthorized copy by non-Intersection staff, occasionally people find a way to unlock the ad box and insert unauthorized copy."
A city spokesperson told NBC 10 that Harris' campaign, the local transit authority, and the team had nothing to do with the posters.
"These were not digital ads placed by the Harris campaign, the Philadelphia EAGLES, SEPTA, The City of Philadelphia or the media agency, Intersection, that handles the transit ad space," the spokesperson said. "This was not a digital breach; whomever is responsible for the illegally placed posters, broke into the securely covered shelter ad space and somehow put the posters in the space."
Trump and Harris have previously touted legitimate endorsements from athletes and those connected to the broader sports universe. The former president, a WWE Hall of Famer, gave a coveted convention speaking slot to Hulk Hogan. Trump is also close with UFC President Dana White, who introduced him at the Republican National Convention. Harris and Democrats gave a speaking slot during their convention to Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who had just led Team USA to another gold medal in Men's Basketball. Warriors star Steph Curry later appeared via video.
Trump has a difficult history with the NFL. He unsuccessfully sought to own a team before turning to boosting the USFL, which he tried to position as a rival league. During his time in the White House, Trump encouraged NFL owners to fire any player who took a knee in protest during the playing of the National Anthem.
A spokesperson for Harris' campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.