MEXICO CITY - The NFL has apologized for an ”unacceptable” tweet with three smiley emojis that likened the Kansas City Chiefs’ big victory over the New England Patriots to a deadly earthquake that shook Mexico.
The tweet came from the league’s official NFL Mexico account after the Chiefs upset the Super Bowl champions 42-27 in the season opener Thursday night.
The game ended about a half-hour before the earthquake, which killed at least 32 people. The earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.1, hit the southern coast of Mexico. Authorities say it was the strongest in Mexico in a half-century.
The tweet from the @nflmx account said in Spanish:
When Mexico City shakes with an #earthquake because it can’t believe the @Chiefs won the #Kickoff2017 game.
The since-deleted tweet received wide criticism online. The NFL Mexico account later apologized with a tweet that, translated in Spanish, said: the ”unacceptable tweet from yesterday, which doesn’t reflect the league’s values. We reiterate our solidarity with Mexico.”
The NFL is one of the most popular sports in Mexico, where the Patriots will play the Raiders in a regular-season game in November, the second season in a row the Raiders have played a game in Mexico City.