Clemson QB Cade Klubnik has strong words after fake report he was in car wreck
On Sunday night, Cade Klubnik’s mom called him. She was crying.
Kim Klubnik was under the impression that her son, Clemson’s senior starting quarterback, had been injured in a car accident that evening around campus.
The only issue — that rumor, which originated from a message board post, was completely false. Klubnik had not been a car accident. He was safe and healthy.
A CBS Sports reporter cleared things up within the hour, quoting Kim Klubnik as saying the report “categorically false,” but it was still a stark reminder of how quickly false news can spread — and how it can impact people’s families.
Klubnik addressed the situation Wednesday before Clemson football’s season opener vs. LSU, using some of the strongest words he ever has in a public setting.
“I don’t know who it was, but shame on them for the pain that they had to put people that I love through,” Klubnik said. “I’m not really interested in talking about anymore. It was a messed-up joke or whatever.”
He added, with a smile: “But I’m OK.”
Why a fake Cade Klubnik post went viral
The false report, posted Sunday evening, claimed Klubnik had been involved in a car accident near campus and hurt his arm and shoulder. The message was posted by a user named “JacobyMoore” on TigerNet.com, a popular Clemson website.
The post caught traction when Message Board Genuises, an X account that pokes fun at the often unpredictable content that pops up on college sports message boards, posted a screenshot of the fake post at 8:07 p.m.
Naturally, that caused a stir given Klubnik is one of the most prominent players in college football — the starting quarterback for the preseason No. 4 team, a Heisman Trophy candidate and a potential No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick.
Numerous aggregator accounts on social media platforms including X and Instagram picked up the report rewithout attempting to verify it until CBS Sports reporter Chris Hummer confirmed with Kim Klubnik the rumor was fake.
Hummer wrote in a post Sunday: “There’s a rumor going around tonight that Clemson QB Cade Klubnik was injured in a car accident. That is categorically false, per his mom, Kim. Don’t believe everything you see on message boards and on Twitter, y’all. Baseless rumors are cruel.”
“My heart has not stopped racing since someone shared the story with me,” Kim Klubnik told CBS Sports. “How can someone be so cruel?”
“How can it be OK to spread rumors like this?” she added.
Klubnik said he was sitting at home, hanging out with his roommates, when his mom called him in tears Sunday night. Naturally, he was caught off guard.
Said Klubnik: “I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m fine. What’s going on?’ She saw the post that that dude or whoever posted, but that was the first thing I heard of it.”
Klubnik, 21, said he fielded additional calls and texts from other people close to him after his mom reached out. All of them too, were asking him if he was OK because of the car accident rumor they’d seen online.
As a result of his fake post, the owner of the account “JacobyMoore” has been permanently banned from posting on TigerNet.com, senior writer David Hood told The State. Hood also said his website’s team is aware of the poster’s identity and banned his IP address so he cannot sign up for the site with a new account.
Clemson vs. LSU game, TV info
Who: No. 9 LSU (0-0) at No. 4 Clemson (0-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Memorial Stadium in Clemson
TV: ABC
Streaming: Via ESPN.com or ESPN app
Betting line: Clemson by 4 points
This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 2:37 PM.
