Pride Month kicked off on June 1, and across the sports landscape, teams from the NBA, MLB, and the WNBA flooded social media with rainbow logos and supportive messages. But when it came to the NFL, nine franchises stayed quiet on Monday—a notable silence that has fans and observers talking.
According to a report from Outkick, the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, and New Orleans Saints all refrained from posting about Pride Month on the first day of June. That list includes some of the league's most iconic brands, and several of them also skipped Pride posts at the start of June last year.
Monday wasn't just any day on the NFL calendar. The Los Angeles Rams pulled off a seismic trade, acquiring star pass rusher Myles Garrett from the Browns in a deal that reshaped the league's power balance. The move dominated headlines and social media feeds, with teams and fans buzzing about the blockbuster. Major signings, including Odell Beckham Jr. returning to the New York Giants, added to the noise. It's possible that the frenzy around those moves pushed Pride Month messaging to the back burner for some teams' social media teams.
Still, the absence of any acknowledgment from nearly a quarter of the league's franchises raises eyebrows. Pride Month is meant to recognize the historical and ongoing contributions of LGBTQ+ individuals, and many sports organizations have made a point of showing support in recent years. The New York Yankees, for instance, posted a "Happy Pride Month" message with a rainbow-tinted logo. Several NFL teams did post, but the nine that didn't stand out as outliers.
This isn't an isolated trend. Some of the same teams have consistently opted out of Pride-related content in previous years, suggesting a pattern rather than a one-day oversight. The Cowboys and Chiefs, two of the league's most high-profile franchises, were among the no-shows, which only amplifies the scrutiny.
For context, the NFL has had a complicated relationship with LGBTQ+ inclusion. While the league has supported Pride initiatives through partnerships and events, individual team stances have varied. The silence on Monday could signal a deliberate choice, or it could simply reflect a day when sports news was dominated by the AJ Brown trade clock ticking down and other roster moves.
As June unfolds, it's possible that some of these teams will still post Pride messages later in the month. But the first-day absence is a reminder that, in a league where every social media move is scrutinized, not posting can be as loud as posting. Whether the silence was a scheduling casualty or something more intentional, it has already sparked conversation about where the NFL stands on inclusion in 2026.
