An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows a statement put out by former President Donald Trump calling Tom Brady “shady” after the NFL quarterback made a joke about people denying the 2020 presidential election results.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence Trump released the statement. The fabricated press release appears to originate from a Twitter user as a joke.

Fact Check:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV in February, marking Brady’s seventh Super Bowl win, according to CBS Sports. Brady and his teammates on July 20 visited the White House, where the quarterback cracked a joke about people not believing the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl, footage from The Hill shows.

“Not a lot of people think that we could have won and, in fact, I think about 40 percent of people still don’t think we won,” Brady said, referencing people who deny President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election.

Shortly after Brady made the joke, social media users started sharing a screen grab of what looks like a statement from Trump. In the alleged press release, the former president appears to respond to Brady’s joke, calling the quarterback “shady.”

“Tom ‘Shady’ needs to do his research and realize how Rigged (and Rigged it was) the last election was,” the purported Trump statement reads. “Maybe he was too busy Deflating balls (weak grip?) to follow what is happening all around our Great Country (including Maricopa County, Georgia and Pennsylvania). When I’m back in the White House we’ll see who he jokes with (the answer is Me, your favorite ‘President’, if I even invite him). So much Voter Fraud!”

There is, however, no record of Trump putting out the statement pictured in the Facebook post. A search of Trump’s website, as well as his 45office.com website, didn’t turn up any statements calling Brady “shady.” (RELATED: Did Tom Brady Say, ‘If Anybody On This Team Kneels, I Walk’?)

Brady’s joke at the White House was widely covered by national news outlets. If Trump had put out the statement in response, it would have been picked up by the media, yet no major news outlets have reported on it.

Multiple Twitter users also shared the fake statement on Twitter. The fabricated press release appears to have been originally posted by the Twitter user @skolanach, whose handle is visible in the upper-left corner. The Twitter user later clarified it was a joke.

I made it. Parody.

— ElElegante101 (@skolanach) July 20, 2021

“I made it,” the Twitter user wrote. “Parody.”