WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A Facebook page features credible news about the Melbourne Demons AFL club.
OUR VERDICT
False. The stories are fake.
AAP FACTCHECK - Melbourne Demons fans are being served with fake news about captain Max Gawn, Kysaiah Pickett and even club legend Garry Lyon.
A Facebook page called Demon Den is sharing daily updates about the club and players, most of them completely made up.
The page is operated by users in Vietnam and Canada, according to Meta's page transparency details.
One post claims Gawn has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a serious injury.
"The devastating setback has sent shockwaves through the Dees community, with supporters now facing the reality of finishing the campaign without one of the club's biggest stars," the post reads.
A Google search returns no credible reports about Gawn suffering a season-ending injury.
One day after the post appeared, the eight-time All-Australian starred in the Demons' loss to Geelong at the MCG, according to an AFL match report.
Another post claimed midfielder Caleb Windsor "has announced that he is stepping away from all football activities to dedicate himself fully to caring for his mother as she battles a serious illness".
However, a Google search returns no credible reports that Windsor was taking time away from the game to care for his mother.
Windsor played in the Demons' win over North Melbourne on July 18, three days after the suspicious post appeared, according to the match report.
However, the midfielder didn't feature in a 20-point loss to Geelong on July 24 due to injury, the match report showed.
The post includes an image of Windsor with a caption that says: "Football is no longer my priority. The only thing I care about right now is the battle my Mom is facing every single day."
AAP FactCheck was unable to find any evidence that Windsor had said this.
Other suspicious Facebook fan pages have also attributed the same quote to sports stars in Australia and the US.
Another post claimed a 21-year-old Demons player named 'Sidney Brill' had died.
"The loss has shaken the entire Melbourne Demons community, with teammates, coaches and fans mourning not only a talented young footballer but also a remarkable young man whose future held so much promise," the post reads.
However, AAP FactCheck found no evidence of a player named 'Sidney Brill' on the club roster.
Near-identical wording has been used in other Facebook posts about various 21-year-old footballers supposedly dying in Australia or the US.
An analysis using OpenAI's verification tool confirms it was generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
Kysaiah Pickett has also been targeted in a fake post claiming the Demons star bought his former family home and transformed it into a $3.2 million recovery shelter "for women and children battling homelessness and addiction".
"I won't build luxury for myself… I'll build second chances for others," the post quotes Pickett as saying.
A Google search does not return any credible reports of the quote or the story.
The same story with identical quotes has previously been attributed to other celebrities, including Johnny Depp, Shakira and Jon Bon Jovi by suspicious pages.
Another post claims Demons legend Garry Lyon is battling cancer.
Google returns no credible reports that the former player has announced a cancer diagnosis.
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