On April 5, 2021, former NFL player Bruce Campbell was trending on Twitter as social media users shared a video that supposedly showed him losing a fight at a Walmart.
But there's no evidence that the man in this video is Campbell. This rumor is based on a single person's misidentification.
Before "Bruce Campbell" started trending, a Twitter user named "Kandy Kruz" posted a video of two men fighting at a Walmart along with the caption, "The bigger you are... the harder you fall." Neither of the men were identified in this video.
Shortly after Kruz posted this video, a Twitter user named "Raider Albert" retweeted the footage and added the caption: BREAKING: ex #Raiders offensive tackle Bruce Campbell involved in altercation. Was taken to hospital with a broken jaw. Wow. #RaiderNation
This person does not appear to have any firsthand knowledge of the situation. They saw Kruz' video, just like the rest of the social media, and then claimed without evidence that this person was Campbell, and that he was taken to the hospital with a broken jaw.
While this rumor was made up out of whole cloth, it was quickly picked up by social media users and even news websites. There is no evidence, however, that this person is actually Campbell.
On the other hand, there is evidence that this person isn't Campbell. Campbell started his professional career as an offensive tackle with the Oakland Raiders in 2010, and ended his NFL career with the New York Jets in 2014. Campbell hasn't been in the league for several years, and it doesn't appear he has an active social media presence. However, photos from his Instagram show that he has tattoos down both of his arms. The man in this video doesn't appear to have tattoos.
After "Bruce Campbell" started trending, Twitter user "Raider Albert" seemed to revel in the confusion.
The claim that Campbell was involved in this fight appears to have been conjured out of thin air. The original video did not identify either men in this fight, and the Twitter user who "identified" Campbell appeared to do so without any firsthand information. Furthermore, photographs show that Campbell had arm tattoos while the man in the video did not.