The Boston Herald included an amusing item in Wednesday's Celtics notebook, reporting that the NBA has asked players and coaches to avoid the usual pre-game handshakes. "The NBA, fearful of the damage an H1N1 flu outbreak could wreak on the league, has passed down an anti-handshake directive," wrote Herald reporter Mark Murphy. "Players and coaches have been asked to greet each other via more sanitary means of contact, like fist pounding, or maybe chest bumps."
Not surprisingly, the quirky news quickly gained traction on Twitter (including, ahem, this guy) and the blogosphere -- but it's not actually true. NBA spokesman Tim Frank quickly denied the report to FanHouse. Democracy reigns, there are no league-mandated terrorist fist jabs, after all.
Bernanke: Fed Could Reduce Stimulus Later This Year
Murkowski Backs Gay Marriage
Michael Hastings Dies In Car Crash At Age 33
'Today' About To Undergo Another Overhaul
Report Highlights Climate-Poverty Link
FBI Director: We Use Drones In The U.S.
Valerie Plame Rolls Eyes At Dick Cheney Calling Snowden A 'Traitor: 'The Irony!'
Is LinkedIn A Stalking Ground?
Rand Paul Says Someone Should Have Been Fired 9/11 Intelligence Failures
John Oliver To GOP: 'Go Back To Where You Came From'
How Immigration Push Shapes Rubio's 2016 Chances
Republicans Want To Drug Test Food Stamp Recipients
Karl Rove: Obama's No Dick Cheney -- He's Worse
Republicans Reject Signature Bush Law
Pregnant And Fired: Employers Routinely Discriminate Against Pregnant Women, Report Says
Drone 'Signature Strike' Witness Fears For Son
WATCH: Maddow's Moving Tribute To Michael Hastings
From Child Hero To Murder Suspect
'When You Hear The Gunshots, You Shake A Little Bit'
Huff TV: WATCH: Mika And 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' Star Talk Third Metric In Bed
Miracle Moves John Paul II Another Step Towards Sainthood
Heat Not Done Yet!
Banks Caught In How Many Mortgage Settlement Violations?
Berlin Is Hot For Obama
Americans Still Conflicted About School Prayer
'Our Work Is Not Yet Done'
The Government's Other Target In The Bradley Manning Trial: Julian Assange
Karzai Suspends Talks With U.S. Over Taliban Negotiations
Obama Defends NSA Programs
Protests Rage In Brazil's Largest City
