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Fact check: False claim links NFL player's injury to COVID-19 vaccine

Portrait of Bayliss Wagner Bayliss Wagner
USA TODAY

The claim: COVID-19 vaccine caused football player Donald Parham Jr.'s heart to explode 

In a clip of the Dec. 16 game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs that is circulating online, Chargers tight end Donald Parham Jr. cuts into the endzone before he jumps and attempts to catch a pass. He lands hard and rolls onto his back, knocking the back of his head on the turf and injuring himself in the process.

As he is wheeled off the field in a stretcher, his arms seem to be frozen in a protective position in front of him, and he is shaking.

Speculation, including from an announcer, accompanied the injury and these symptoms. Some claimed that the injury was actually to Parham’s heart – and that it was caused by a recent COVID-19 vaccine booster shot. 

“NFL player Donald Parham’s heart explodes mid-air while catching sports ball,” reads identical captions of the clip in Twitter and Facebook posts. “NFL player Donald Parham had recently taken his booster shot for Covid-19. This is one of the many cases where pro athletes have heart problems after taking the Covid boosters.”

Users of video sharing platform BitChute also shared numerous posts making similar claims between Dec. 17 and Dec. 21, as Reuters reported. One such clip on BitChute was viewed over 24,000 times. 

Post-vaccine heart problems such as myocarditis have been documented in extremely rare cases. However, Parham suffered a concussion, not a heart problem, and there’s no evidence a COVID-19 vaccine booster was involved.

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USA TODAY reached out to users who shared the claim for comment.

Chargers tight end Donald Parham Jr. (89) was injured when attempting to catch a pass in the first half of Thursday's game against Tyrann Mathieu (32) and the Chiefs.

Parham suffered a concussion due to a hard fall, not heart problems from the vaccine

There's no evidence that a sudden cardiac failure or "heart explosion" caused Parham to fall, nor is there any evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine played a role in his response to the injury. Rather, the player experienced known symptoms of head trauma.

Parham was diagnosed with a concussion after undergoing extensive testing and monitoring at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center following his injury, the Chargers announced on Twitter. Parham let fans know that he was "all good" in a tweet on Dec. 17.

In a YouTube video explaining the injury, Dr. Brian Sutterer of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, attributed Parham's rigid, bent arms to the asymmetric tonic neck reflex or "fencing response." Triggered by the brain stem to protect a person from fall, it flexes the arms up and away from the body.

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Donald Parham is taken off the field on a stretcher during the Chargers' game against the Chiefs.

A disruption in the brain's electrical signals likely caused Parham's visible tremors, according to Sutterer. 

“When people have head injuries, there can be all kinds of abnormal, electrical depolarization and discharge from the neurons in the brain, which can lead to abnormal movements," he said.

In a press conference on Dec. 20, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said Parham had been discharged from the hospital on the Saturday following the injury.

"He’s safe and sound," Staley said. "Now, it’s just day-to-day. We’ll have more updates as they become available, but I know that his spirits are high ... he’s on his way to recovery.” 

Our rating: False     

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that the COVID-19 vaccine caused Parham's heart to explode. In the clip, the back of his head can be seen hitting the turf forcefully. The Chargers and several news outlets reported that this impact caused a concussion. There is no evidence that Parham experienced heart issues or that the COVID-19 vaccine was a cause of the injury.

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