Shaq: I'm Not Actually A 9/11 Truther

Shaquille O’Neal is disowning content posted on his personal blog and verified Facebook pages yesterday, claiming the company he contracted to pretend to be him online went rogue and that he is not and has never been a “9/11 truther.”

O’Neal’s marketing company—of which he is president, treasurer, and secretary—appears to have hired “social interaction monetization” firm Digital Mavericks to post on his behalf, only to find the company was a bit too maverick-y after the posts yesterday that urged readers to consider whether the 2001 terrorist attacks were an inside job.

Shaq’s website is far from the only one posting this garbage. The Awl noted a few months back that Digital Mavericks manages Waka Flocka Flame’s website, and a cursory Google search reveals several other hip-hop artists whose “personal websites” are mostly made up of Digital Mavericks junk.

Here’s a statement from the crap purveyor as well as one from Digital Mavericks’s CEO.

Statement from Shaquille O’Neal

This post was insulting and offensive, and I apologize to everyone who came across it. Once I learned that it was on my Facebook page and blog, I ordered it removed and fired the firm that posted it. I am not and never have been a “9/11 truther.’’ My father served our country and I am immensely proud of the sacrifices people make daily to keep us safe. The events of 9/11 were a horrible tragedy for our nation and it’s a disgrace that anyone would think otherwise.

Statement from Matt Argall, CEO of Digital Mavericks

Our firm helped manage content for Shaquille O’Neal’s Facebook page and blog. Yesterday, one of our employees posted a link on Mr. O’Neal’s social media that related to the tragic events of 9/11. Mr. O’Neal had no knowledge of the posting. Further, it does not represent the views of Mr. O’Neal, our clients or our organization. We sincerely apologize. We have removed the link from Mr. O’Neal’s social media and no longer manage social media content for him. We are very sensitive to the tragedy of 9/11 and apologize greatly for this post.