JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Social media was buzzing Thursday morning after rumors started circulating that Tony Khan, CEO of All Elite Wrestling and son of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, had filed to run for Congress.
The rumors picked up steam after reports from NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport and NBC Sports later that morning.
But Tony Khan took to Twitter and used some obscure wrestling references to deny he is running for the seat currently occupied by Rep. John Rutherford (R-Jacksonville).
“I’m definitely not running for Congress,” said Tony Khan, who also serves as the Jaguars’ Chief Football Strategy Officer.
The fact checking standard for @ProFootballTalk reporting is far lower than that of @AEW’s roving reporter @tonyschiavone24. I’m definitely not running for Congress; this filing is faker than Eddie Gilbert’s apology to Tommy Rich in 1984. PFT sources as trustworthy as @The_MJF. https://t.co/HPdU53GrfY
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) February 10, 2022
Khan said the filing that media outlets referenced in their reports was fake, and the signs were there.
For starters, the PDF on the Federal Elections Commission website for an electronically filed statement of candidacy for a Tony Khan, for Florida’s Fourth Congressional District as a Democrat, lists his home address as TIAA Bank Field, and not a personal residence.
Chris Hand, a Jacksonville government law attorney, also noted on Twitter that the filing came back in September and neither the Florida Division of Elections nor the Federal Elections Commission lists anyone named Tony Khan as a 2022 candidate in that district.
For all national @NFL reporters such as @RapSheet, @AdamSchefter & others: @TonyKhan is not an active candidate for Congress. Please check the Florida Division of Elections & Federal Elections Commission if you want to verify. I’ll post the links below for your convenience. https://t.co/34bCKZv0BJ
— Chris Hand (@chrishandjax) February 10, 2022
After the development and Khan’s statement, Rapoport walked back his earlier report.
“Sadly, per @TonyKhan, he is not running for Congress despite this apparent filing. Which means it’ll be just the Jags, Fulham, and wrestling on his plate,” Rapoport tweeted.
NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk also issued a retraction.
*Known. #TheyKnownWhoWeMean
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 10, 2022
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp even got involved and had a little fun with the story.
“Despite reports floating about from “Jacksonville Tomorrow” the Jumbo Shrimp can confirm Scampi will not be seeking any political offices in the near future,” the minor league baseball team tweeted.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT: Despite reports floating about from “Jacksonville Tomorrow” the Jumbo Shrimp can confirm Scampi will not be seeking any political offices in the near future. pic.twitter.com/vMNIgi3ewt
— Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (@JaxShrimp) February 10, 2022
The question remains, who submitted the paperwork in Khan’s name to run? That’s not clear right now and may never be.
“Well, as I understand it’s happened in the past before and it looks like this is a form that someone could just file online,” Hand told News4JAX.
Hand speculates Khan’s filing is a hoax.
