Topline
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye said this week he was not entirely confident the U.S. sent astronauts to the moon, rustling feathers on social media and provoking billionaire NASA chief Jared Isaacman to assure Maye the moon landing was not faked.
Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots looks on against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of their matchup at Lumen Field on Sept. 9, 2026.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Key Facts
Maye told New England radio station WEEI-FM on Monday, “I don’t know about the moon,” adding, “I can see back in the day why we would put on the mask if we went there, but I’m not really sure 200% if we went there or not.”
Maye, who told the radio station he took a class at the University of North Carolina about conspiracy theories, noted he is not “leaning one way or the other” and is “a little bit skeptical.”
The remarks received significant attention on social media Wednesday after a local Boston TV station published a story on Maye’s comments, with Barstool Sports founder and Patriots fan Dave Portnoy backing Maye up in a tweet, calling his remarks a “normal take” and asking followers, “Raise your hand if you saw us land a man on the moon in person with your own two eyes.”
“I quite literally have receipts,” Isaacman said in a tweet responding to Maye’s comments.
Tangent
Maye is the latest NFL player to entertain the possibility of conspiracy theories being true. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf said last month he believes Antarctica is “another world” and that “there is another civilization inside of Earth,” seemingly referring to the hollow earth conspiracy theory. Metcalf’s quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, has also entertained conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccine.
Key Background
The U.S. first landed humans on the moon in 1969 with the Apollo 11 mission, with Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the surface recorded and shown hours later to the American public. Conspiracy theorists have claimed the moon landing was faked using a soundstage, pointing to anomalies in the shadows, no stars in the background of photos and video, as well as a rippling American flag despite there being no air on the moon. Those claims have been widely debunked. Prior to his appointment as NASA administrator, Isaacman vowed to prioritize returning humans on the moon over sending them to Mars, the latter of which has been long-sought by Isaacman’s business partner and SpaceX chief Elon Musk. Isaacman has said NASA is targeting the end of 2028 for a voyage to the moon that would put American astronauts on its surface and mark a key milestone in developing a permanent moon base.
FORBES VALUATION
We estimate Isaacman to be worth $1.5 billion. Isaacman founded payment processing firm Shift4 Payments and took the company public in 2020.
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