A former football player apologized for falsely claiming Barry Alvarez died.
Matt Finkes, a defensive lineman who played eight NFL games with the New York Jets out of Ohio State, posted a tribute to Alvarez on Wednesday morning. The since-deleted social-media post said, “Football lost a legend today” and ended with “RIP Barry.”
Alvarez isn’t dead. BadgerExtra reporters Jim Polzin and Colten Bartholomew confirmed that the former Wisconsin head coach and athletic director is alive. Chris McIntosh, the university’s current AD, spoke with Alvarez over the phone on Wednesday.
Finkes expressed regret for spreading misinformation.
“Apologize for the earlier tweet about Barry Alvarez,” Finkes wrote two and a half hours after his original post. “There was a post this morning from a reliable source. I did not research further. Happy Barry is still rocking!!”
Alvarez’s “reliable source” remains unclear, as the rumor only appeared to gain traction after his erroneous message. There’s no visible instance of a credible journalist or publication reporting the news.
This story magnifies the dangers of how easily falsehoods can spread on social media. It just takes one former athlete lacking in media literacy to take a break from fighting with a Michigan alum to spread a false death.
But the most important takeaway here is that Alvarez is still with us.
The two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year went 118-75 with nine bowl victories as Wisconsin’s head coach. He stepped down as the school’s athletic director in 2021.