Del Rio, who returned to the NFL in January as part of Ron Rivera’s coaching staff in Washington, retweeted a picture of what was purportedly the screenshot of a tweet from Ocasio-Cortez, in which the New York representative allegedly suggested the economic damage of extending the lockdown until November was a price worth paying to prevent Trump from winning a second term.

“It’s vital that Governors maintain restrictions on businesses until after the November Elections because economic recovery will help Trump be re-elected,” the fake tweet said. “A few business closures or job losses is a small price to pay to be free from his presidency.”

The account Del Rio retweeted had itself shared the screenshot from another account, suggesting it was proof that “AOC hates America.”

A number of Twitter users, including ESPN+ anchor Alex Del Barrio and MLB Network host Robert Flores, questioned Del Rio’s attention to detail and pointed out the screenshot had widely been debunked as being fake.

Earlier this month, Ocasio-Cortez criticized the Redskins joining in “BlackOutTuesday,” a social media trend that saw teams, leagues and people across the world post a blank, black photo to demand justice for George Floyd, who died while in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Ocasio-Cortez said if the NFL franchise really wanted to help change social justice, it should start by changing its name.

Aside from the post criticizing the congresswoman, Del Rio then shared his support for Trump, retweeting a video of self-professed “black female conservative” Samantha Marika on “the truth about the Donald Trump racism narrative,” captioning it “fact not fiction.”

In the video, which was originally published on June 15, Marika dismissed racism accusations levelled at Trump, suggesting that all “these so-called blindly woke individuals that you follow today were friends with him [Trump]” before he became President.

She then elaborated on some of Trump’s milestones during his first term, explaining that a “racist does not sign the First Step Act, a racist does not increase HBCU funding by 14 percent, a racist does not donate his presidential salary to help the black community […] a racist does not get the FBI to investigate George Floyd’s murder.”

She then rubbished the suggestion Trump had done all of the above to secure “the black vote,” because “a racist doesn’t want the black vote.”

After a Twitter user bemoaned the fact Del Rio had come out in support of Trump, the former NFL linebacker then doubled down on his stance, suggesting he was “100 percent for America” and invited detractors to kiss his backside.

His comments come just two weeks after Trump suggested he would no longer watch the NFL and the U.S. soccer teams if players were to be allowed to kneel during the national anthem in the upcoming season.

Kneeling during the anthem has been a thorny political issue since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first knelt during the anthem to protest against police brutality and racial inequality in 2016.

Following Floyd’s death, the Black Lives Matter campaign has again been thrust into the spotlight and a number of NFL players have already pledged to take a knee when the season begins on September 10.

Earlier this month, Washington’s veteran running back Adrian Peterson said he would “no doubt” kneel during the national anthem.

“Just four years ago, you’re seeing [Colin] Kaepernick taking a knee, and now we’re all getting ready to take a knee together going into this season, without a doubt,” he told the Houston Chronicle.

“We’ve got to put the effort in as a group collectively. Are they going to try to punish us all? If not, playing football is going to help us save lives and change things, then that’s what it needs to be.”

Rivera, one of just four minority coaches in the NFL, said he would support his players if they decided to kneel and that he believed football could make a difference.

“I’m saddened by how hurt the black community is by what has transpired,” he told ESPN two weeks ago.

“I’m also proud of everyone who’s on the right side of the fight against social injustice. I am here to help any way I can in making a difference. Black lives do matter. We cannot be afraid to say it, so I’ll say it again: Black lives do matter.”