Rabat – The National Football League, widely known as the NFL, has sparked viral reactions and sarcasm after it identified American linebacker Arden Key Jr. as Moroccan.
On November 18, NFL Africa posted Key El’s photo on X, wishing a happy Independence Day to all family and friends in Morocco.
The league posted the American player with the caption because he displays the Moroccan flag emoji on his Instagram profile.
Many NFL followers reacted to the post, emphasizing that the player is not Moroccan.
“Thank you, but this guy isn’t Moroccan,” a user on X wrote.
Another one wrote: “Wish him all the best, but he’s nowhere near Moroccan. He’s part of MSTA, though.”
This means that the player is a member of the Moorish Science Temple of America, a religious group that believes all African Americans are Moors descended from northwest Africa.
The movement’s website calls its members believers of the “Mohammedan religion” to help in the great program of “uplifting humanity and teaching those things necessary to make our members better citizens.
The group also pledged allegiance to the Kingdom of Morocco and its King.
In the group’s religious and cultural activities, members also raise the Moroccan flag alongside the American flag as part of their tradition. They also wear Moroccan-inspired clothing, including traditional garments and the Fez tarboosh.
Born in Lithonia, Georgia, Key Jr. is an American professional football linebacker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League.
